


The Troubled Barista

by BoBoK



Series: The Barista Boy [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-05 13:49:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoBoK/pseuds/BoBoK
Summary: An AU: This universe takes place 1 year after the events in the game. However, instead of the large group that Ren Amamiya had taken with him to the metaverse, his thieving acts were only committed by him and his trusty cat-human, Morgana. He was able to commit his perfect crimes, brushing underneath the noses of the investigators Goro Akechi and Sae Niijima and getting away scot-free. During his time as a phantom thief, in order to change Kaneshiro’s heart, he joined the Yakuza, with help from Iwai, of course (Which turns out to be very important!) After the change of the public’s heart, he decided to stay in Shibuya and resided in the attic of Sojiro for another whole year, working as a barista and co-owner of Leblanc. Everything seems well, he is no longer having troubles being with the Yakuza, he’s doing decently in school, the Phantom Thieves have died down, and his affiliations with both parties remains completely unknown.





	1. Chapter 1: The Tattood Barista

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Thank you so much for your kind words on my last one-off and here I am now, with a new story and my little take on an alternate universe!
> 
> I'm using this story as sort of a practice run, mainly to see how well I could build a story and if I could possibly capture the different personalities of characters. So basically, this is to help me grow before the 'big one' some might say. 
> 
> Once again, all comments and critiques are very much appreciated and once again, thank you for reading "A Troubled Barista," I really do hope you find some enjoyment as I try and figure out how to expand my horizons, in terms of writing that is! 
> 
> Without further ado, here's the start to my very first multi-chapter story! I hope you all enjoy :) 
> 
> P.S: Special thanks to my good friend Shibe for her support and in convincing me to actually post what I write here!

5/11  
Cafe LeBlanc  
Evening

He sighed softly as he continued to wipe down the counter, knowing that closing time was coming soon. The rain was beating down hard, the streets nearly flooded. He mumbled to himself, “Hopefully no one is caught out in that storm…” 

It was almost as if he predicted the upcoming future, the bell to the door ringing as a young teenage woman wearing a teal peacoat and a pair of dark blue jeans, with black doc martens on her feet rushed inside. He immediately recognized her due to her reddish eyes and chestnut brown hair, Makoto Niijima. His old study partner from his second year of Shujin.

“Avoiding the storm?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow as she sat down frustratedly in the middle booth, slipping off her backpack and pulling out textbooks, notebooks, and binders. 

She nodded, pulling out a pen and getting to work. 

“Diligent as always, Niijima-Senpai.” He whispered quietly to himself before speaking up. “May I get you something to drink? Possibly something to eat, ma’am?” 

Makoto paused and thought to herself. “I would like a Blue Mountain House, please.” She answered, quickly going back to her work. 

He nodded and quickly began brewing, making it to the absolute best of his possibilities. He took the cup and stepped out from behind the bar, walking over to her table and setting it on the corner. “Here.” He said with a small grin, bowing his head slightly.

She paused her labor and nodded, turning to him to thank him. “Thank you kindly, mister.” She said, noticing the unkempt black hair, the oversized glasses, the slim figure, and that grin. “Oh! Amamiya-kun!” She said, sounding almost excited to see him, which certainly caught him off guard.

“Niijima-Senpai.” He said with a small bow of his head once more. He walked back around the bar and stood behind it, engaging in conversation. “I’m assuming you’re in law school now?” He asked, breaking the ice.

“I am. While it is very enjoyable, it’s also very draining.” She said with a small sigh, putting a knuckle up to her chin as she engaged in thought, the recollections of their study sessions coming back to her. “You’re a third year now, right? How is Shujin still treating you?” She asked, setting the pen down and taking a drink of the coffee, humming in approval to herself before she resumed her work. 

He sighed softly and nodded. “Yes. Still attending Shujin.” He replied, resting his forearm on the tabletop, resting his other arm parallel to it. “It’s…” He paused, getting choked up. “Well. I’m still known as the ‘transfer student with a criminal record’.” He said, frowning. “But I’m studying as hard as ever.” He shrugged, pushing himself off of the tabletop.

Makoto frowned, “I’m… sorry about that.” She admitted, taking another small sip of coffee, setting the cup back on the small platter. “I can’t believe they still treat you that way. Didn’t that guy confess that he wronged you? The whole Phantom Thief conundrum.” She said, her interest in the group sparking as she began to monologue. “Changing of hearts, corrupted desires, it’s all so strange.” 

Ren choked up as she spoke that forgotten name. It was a year since his crimes were lifted, but he knew no one at Shujin cared. He saw her interest was piqued by his alternate self. He held in everything he was going to say, his face turning a dark red as he was caught off guard and flustered by the sudden memories that flooded him. 

“What are your thoughts about the-“ She paused, seeing his face glow red like a tomato. “Are you okay?” She asked a slight bit of concern in her voice. 

“Yeah!” He scoffed “I’m fine.” He said, immediately regaining his composure, his face still a light tint of red. “Apologies. You may have just sent me down memory lane with that whole Phantom Thief ordeal.” He said with a quiet chuckle. “It simply reminded me of how much you helped me with studying, Niijima-Senpai.” 

“Mmhm…” She hummed, her knuckle returning to her chin as she watched him with a cocked brow. She was about to speak when the chimes of a large grandfather clock struck, making her let out a small squeak

'Cute' He thought

Ren heard the clock and turned towards the door, seeing how it was still a damn near monsoon outside. He nodded slowly in understanding as he slipped off his apron, hanging it up. “The Cafe is closed but please feel free to stay and study.” He said, walking from out behind the bar and quickly stepping outside to flip the sign, walking back in, adjusting his glasses as he does so. “Besides, I’m not letting you walk out there at this time. Sorry.” He said with a slight chuckle.

Makoto nodded. “Thank you for allowing me to stay, Amamiya-kun.” She said with a small smile. She grabbed her pen and quickly went back to work, breezing through pretty much every problem in the rather thick packet. She paused as he walked out and back in. “What are you, my Sis?” She asked, Ren unable to differentiate whether she was kidding or not. 

“Boss’s first rule: treat your customer as your family.” He said, pulling one of the barstools to the head of the table she sat at, sitting down as he rested his hands in his lap. “And if I had one, I wouldn’t let my dad walk out there… or something.” He quickly shied away from the topic, knowing he may have gotten a bit too personal. 

Makoto nodded, going quiet as she finished just a few more problems before dropping the pen and shutting the textbook, stretching her arms above her head with a long sigh of relief. “It is complete!” She said with a satisfied smirk, packing her stuff up in her backpack and setting it down by her feet.

He noticed her quick and hasty work, growing a bit envious as he wished he could work that fast. “Damn…” He muttered subconsciously, earning him a side-glare from Makoto. His eyes went wide and he raised his hands with his palms out. “I admit! I’m just… jealous is all.” He said with a frown as he slouched back down. “I find studying so much more difficult now.”

She grinned as he tensed up and admitted his envy, feeling proud she had made him react subconsciously with how well she was performing. “Do you know why that is?” She asked in regards to his study troubles, genuinely curious.

Ren stopped for a second, that grin spreading across his face as he answered. “I don’t have you to impress.” He said with a quiet and coy laugh. “Nor do I have you to help me out, which that is probably the most logical answer.” 

Makoto’s face burned a light red as he spoke, but soon simmered down when he clarified it was most likely due to the lack of tutoring. “Don’t you have any others you can study with?” She asked, looking over at him as she took the final drink of her coffee.

His devious grin turned into a whole-hearted smile as he saw her face grow red. He raised an eyebrow and took the empty cup and platter, carrying them back behind the bar and washing them, once finished he returned to his seat and sighed “If you can count my cat as a friend.” He said, shrugging shortly afterward. 

Her face fell into a small frown as he broke the news to her. “I… Apologize.”

He shook his head, waving the apology off with his hand. “No need. It’s not like you should’ve attended Shujin for a fourth year just to be my friend, you’ve got a future ahead of you, Miss Prez.” 

She nodded slowly, understanding of the deflection. “Now you’re really starting to sound like my sister…” She said quietly, looking back up at him. “And what do you plan on doing?” 

He shrugged, “I’ll probably just work here and continue to reside in my little bungalow.” 

“You have a home?” 

His face fell. “Yeah. If you can call it that.” 

She frowned at the sad look on his face, “Where is it? If you do not mind me asking, of course. ” 

“The attic of this place.” He admitted, pointing to the stairwell that was in the back of LeBlanc. “I can show you it if you want.” 

Her frown grew larger. He’s been living in an attic for two years? She pondered the thought, zoning out as she thought of all the time he had to spend cooped up in a small cafe attic. She snapped out of it and shrugged. “If it’s alright with you.” 

He nodded and stood up, picking up the bar stool and putting it back in its respective place. He gestured with his head for her to follow, waiting until after she scooched out of the booth before he went up. As the two came up to his room, Makoto saw what this ‘delinquent’ was dealing with. It was empty, barren even. She frowned as she noticed no decorations except a half dying plant, the entire canvas of the room having to be only browns with exception to the green from said plant. She noticed his bed was a simple comforter on top of a few crates with very thin and small blankets. However, his bookshelf piqued her interest, walking over and looking at some of the books. She noticed they all had one theme. They were about thieves. 

“Interesting collection of books.” She whispered to herself before standing up straight and looking over at him, her sad expression returning. “I’m sorry.” 

He raised an eyebrow as she went to examine the books, noticing Morgana still asleep on the couch. “Sorry for….?” He asked, looking back at her.

“Are you aware of how empty and dusty this place is? It’s no place for a high schooler to live- And you’ve lived here for two years. I mean you don’t even have a bed!” She said, gesturing to the crates he slept on.

He frowned and shook his head. “As bland as it is. It’s the only place I find saf-” Until something cut him off. 

There was a bright flash of white, which was followed by all the lights power going out. Ren was used to this sort of stuff by now, but he remembered that someone was there with him when he heard a loud yelp and felt something clinging to his side. 

He stopped and looked down to see Makoto was at his side, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist with the side of her head pressed against his shoulder. 

“Scared of storms?” He asked, speaking in a hushed and calming tone. 

She simply nodded, removing her arms from around him. “I’m really sorry about all of this.” She pouted, bashing herself mentally for being so jumpy at times like these, knowing full well she just made a fool of herself in front of him. 

He shrugged, “Remember rule number one.” He paused, gently resting a hand on her shoulder in order to not scare her too bad. “Here.” He said, guiding her to his couch and taking a seat, allowing her to sit by him, Morgana at the very end of the couch still asleep, miraculously. He hesitated at first and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “If it comforts you, you can still hold on to me.” He said quietly, glad that the darkness hid the dark crimson that coated his face.

She walked over and sat down, she felt a swell of relief knowing he wasn’t upset or freaked out by her outburst. She sat in silence as he spoke, her eyes going wide and her face growing a dark red as she felt his arm around her shoulder, taking a deep breath before she pushed up against him, her head resting back against his bicep. “Thank you, Amamiya-kun.” She shuffled slightly, trying to find a comfortable spot for her head. ‘When did his arms get so… muscular?’ She thought to herself. 

“I understand. I’m pretty afraid of nights like these as well.” Ren broke the short silence between the two, he wasn’t exactly scared of these nights but he did whatever he could to comfort her.

“So I guess this is nice for you too,” Makoto said quietly, closing her eyes as she let her head fall on his shoulder. 

Ren nodded and hummed a small “Mmhm.” But this time it was not a lie, Ren had adored being next to her and holding her like this. Needless to say, he had a slight crush when they were working together. 

“Hey, Amamiya-kun,” Makoto said in her quiet and curious tone, which Ren immediately knew a question was coming his way. “When I started talking about the Phantom Thieves, you got all choked up. Why is that?” 

Ren froze, Makoto noting that his body had gone stiff and tensed up slightly. “Well. It just caught me off guard was all.”

“Why is that?” She pushed, her curiosity growing stronger and stronger, as evident by her sitting up and looking at him with a suspicious glare, her bright red orbs still clearly visible in the dimly lit room. 

Ren sighed and looked down at his feet, shrugging. “I dunno. It brings me memories of Kamoshida.” 

That’s right, Ren and Kamoshida had quite the rivalry. She thought, remembering the time Ren had stepped between her and the gym teacher, which earned him a literal beat down, Kamoshida tackling Ren to the ground of his office and wailing out on him in pure rage. She remembered Ren’s exact words at that moment. 

“Niijima-Senpai! Run!” She heard him on the ground screaming as she turned and took off, only to see Kamoshida walk out of the office and shortly after him, a bloody and bruised Amamiya. 

She was brought back out of her flashback when she looked up at him, seeing a small trace of ink on the lower portion of his neck, barely illuminated by the dimly lit room. “I didn’t know you had a tattoo...” She said, raising her head off of his shoulder in attempts to get a better look at it.

Ren’s eyes went wide as he tugged on his collar to cover the small black line, letting out a quiet “Yeah, it’s nothing, though.” Which was good enough for Makoto, she hummed as she backed off for the time being

Makoto was about to ask if she were able to take a look when the lights suddenly returned, the bright glow of his attic nearly blinding the two. “Ah good, the power is back.” He said, removing his arm from around Makoto, which in all honesty, she really wished he didn’t. 

“Yeah… It probably means the storm is lightening up.” She said, standing up and brushing herself off, walking over to the window to see that the wind had died down and now it was a simple drizzle. 

He stood up after her, heading towards the stairs. “Here, I’ll walk you to the subway.” He said with a small smile as he walked down the stairs, hearing her follow shortly after him. He reached under the booth and grabbed her backpack, handing it over to her as he went for the door. “The station is near, so we can just run for it.” 

Makoto followed him down the stairs, noticing hints and traces of colors just below the nape of his neck. ‘That looks strikingly similar to a Yakuza tattoo.’ She thought to herself, bowing her head in thanks as she grabbed her backpack.

Ren nodded and opened the door, gesturing for her to follow him as he sped walk through the streets, his white shirt soaking and sticking to his skin and his hair falling over his face. As the shirt grew damper and damper, the more see-through it became. Makoto quickly noticed the sprawls of colors on both of his shoulders, wrapping around to his biceps and up to his collar where she noticed the slight traces of colors. Both tattoos had a similar color scale, the Oni on his right bicep was a beautiful mixture of red and blue coloring, very bright and beautiful oranges and yellows sprinkled in for added flair, and on his left bicep and shoulder was a large samurai figure with a sword held in front of his face, holding it as if he was paying respects to a fallen comrade, decorated in vivid blue with red linings along with silver and white. 

“Um... Amamiya-kun,” Makoto said, her tone was a mixture of worry and curiosity. “What exactly are those tattoos on your back?” 

He froze.

‘Shit, Shit, Shit, What do I tell her? The truth? No, I’m not close enough to tell any secrets. But I know she wouldn’t tell anyone in fear for her life, but I also don’t want her to be scared of me.’ He mentally screamed.

He was lost in thought, standing still as the rain pelted him, Makoto quickly drifting off to the side and taking cover under a building from the rain, noticing he hadn’t moved an inch since she brought it up.

“Amamiya-kun?” She asked again, knocking him out of his daze.

‘What do I do!?’ He internally screamed again, his hand shaking in fear. “Go straight and take your next right, you’ll be at the subway.” He said, just barely loud enough for her to hear his directions.

“Amamiya-kun! What exactly are those tat-” And before she could finish her sentence, he darted off, sprinting back for Cafe LeBlanc. 

‘That isn’t suspicious at all.’ She thought to herself. ‘But he did give me directions to the station.' Suddenly it struck her. 'But those tattoos. An Oni and a Samurai, on his shoulders and biceps. Those are Yakuza! Don’t tell me… he is truly a delinquent!’ Makoto thought, sighing softly. She just wanted out of the rain now, a raindrop striking her skin every now and then. She mumbled under her breath, remembering that she forgot her coat. “Curses.” She muttered before running towards the subway, catching the last train to her district. 

Makoto had a lot to think about. A lot...


	2. Chapter 2: Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto goes back to Leblanc the day after Amamiya's sudden sprint, she wants to set things straight with him, she can't help her curiosity, it's just a simple explanation is all! 
> 
> But will his explanation resurface memories that she had forgotten? Will it bring up the same feelings she felt back then?

**{DISCLAIMER: This chapter includes gun violence, light-gore, death, and some pretty touchy subjects for people such as mental illnesses like PTSD. If any of this bothers you but you'd like to keep up with the story, I have no opposition to creating a summary of what occurred and where the current state of both Makoto and Ren are at. I want all of my readers and viewers to enjoy my little series, so feel free to comment or leave a message if you'd like to know what happens!}**

Thank you for reading Chapter 2: Explanation! Let's get this show on the road!

**5/12  
** Shibuya  
Morning

Makoto couldn’t focus. She sat in class, watching the professor lecture and pace back and forth as he told them of the laws, certain loopholes used by criminals, and how the justice system had worked to break through these loopholes. However, all of these flew through one ear and out the other. Her mind was much more occupied by one thing, Ren Amamiya.

She frowned as she thought about him, the despair in his stature and on his face when she brought up his tattoos. ‘Maybe he was forced into the Yakuza? Maybe he had to do it for someone.’ She began hypothesizing. 

She will figure it out today. All of it.

**Yongen-Jaya  
After School**

Makoto had made her way back to the back streets of Yongen-Jaya, immediately walking the same path she took to get to the subway from LeBlanc. She got to the small cafe and entered, noticing that in Ren’s place, there was an older man with a black beard and combed back black hair. 

“Welcome.” He said calmly, “What will you have today?” He asked, walking up to the bar, leaning forward on the wooden surface.

Instead of answering his question, she immediately responded with a question of her own. “Hello sir, I apologize for the intrusion but do you know where Amamiya-kun is?” She looked at him with her piercing glare, determination in her voice.

Sojiro paused and raised an eyebrow. “Well. He wouldn’t leave his room this morning, regardless of what I asked. He seemed pretty upset.” 

“May I speak with him?” She said, already heading towards the staircase.

Sojiro nodded.

Makoto walked up the old broken steps, trying to be as quiet as possible, each step giving off a small and quiet creak. “These steps will break any day.” She whispered quietly. 

She looked over at Ren, who was standing in front of his bed shirtless, ‘Sheesh, he must have just gotten out of bed’ She thought, but she quickly noticed he had his arms crossed over his chest and his nails dug deep into the flesh of his biceps. She could hear soft sniffles and whimpers as he stared at the empty wall.

“Amamiya-kun!” Makoto exclaimed as she could see blood begin to trickle down his arms. 

He froze as he heard her voice. He didn’t dare look away from the dull gray wall, staring intently at it with a glare full of self-hatred and pity. “You came back?” 

“Of course I did, after seeing you run off like that I couldn’t help myself, I was worried.” She explained, remaining frozen at the top of the staircase as she looked at the boy. 

“You’re not scared of me?” Ren questioned softly, looking over at her with a defeated expression. “You’re not scared of my status as a delinquent and a Yakuza member?”

She sighed, her head falling so she was looking at her shoes, memories of him defending her from Kamoshida, from Eiko’s ‘boyfriend’, from the storm the night before. “I am not afraid of you.” 

This actually took him by surprise, his grip on his arms loosening. His arms fell to his sides as he turned to face her. “You can’t be involved with me. It could put you in danger and hurt your reputation.” Ren blurted out.

She frowned and looked back up at him, noticing how he was staring at her with a concerned look on his face. “And that is why I’m not afraid of you.” She said, a small smile spreading across her lips. “You’re willing to protect the things you care about, you’re just like my father was.” She realized what she had said, feeling a soft ache in her heart as she began to ponder how similar Ren’s personality was to her own father.

He looked at her for a moment, his head snapping to the wall and back at her. “Being affiliated with me will mean you're affiliated with the Yakuza. You understand that, correct? Even if we are just friends, they don’t care who they have to blackmail.” 

She shook her head. She didn’t know what emotion was gnawing at her heart. She felt like something was burning in her chest, ‘Do I really have a crush on this guy!?’ She questioned herself. ‘How can I even admit it?’ And before she could think of a worthy response, words slipped out of her mouth. “Ren.” She said simply, switching to his first name now. “Ever since our small study sessions, I always found that you were the only person I could talk to and...” She looked aside, avoiding his cold gaze, “...I don’t want to lose that. Even if you are Yakuza.” 

His breath hitched as she spoke, his emotions spiraling out of control as he felt love, compassion, sadness, anger, and fear all overcome him. He could feel that he was loved and cared about, he could feel her compassion about their past conversations, but he also felt sadness because of his path in life was so distasteful. He was angry with himself for being a member of the feared Yakuza, he was angry that he felt like he couldn’t protect Makoto. But most of all, he was afraid. He was afraid that the members would target Makoto in hopes that those would attempt to blackmail him in order to gain his position as a capo in the Yakuza.

He remembered how Kaneshiro had practically adopted him as his son when he first joined the Yakuza. He hated the way Kaneshiro had always compared himself to Ren, feeling slimier as each day of being in the gang went on. After just a few months and a being a witness of a lot of torture scenes and murders, he was brought up to be the right-hand man, which obviously earned him plenty of enemies who were quickly dealt with by Kaneshiro and Ren both. What scared Ren the most is when he felt himself beginning to adapt to the lifestyle, even indulging in it. He loved the thrill of being in the club, the thrill of having power, the thrill of being respected. It drove a stake through his heart as he thought about it now. 

However, things changed when he changed Kaneshiro’s heart, who immediately went to the police and confessed his crimes which left Ren in charge. He became just like Kaneshiro, ruling with an iron fist, however, there was a small subtle difference, his soft side still came out and he forgave small and simple mistakes. But he never let his kindness take away from his intimidation and short-tempered outbursts. 

He finally snapped out of his daze as he looked over at her. ”Makoto.” He replied, watching her head shoot up and stare at him. “I’ve…” He choked up, scoffing before he continued “I’ve witnessed every little detail of that life, the drugs, the prostitution, the sex slavery, the underground fight clubs, and things that are unthinkable.” He said, his voice shaking with every example he brought up, blood still dripping from his arms. “Hell… I’m the head of the Dragon Oni clan. You will be targeted by the Yakuza and possibly even hurt.” He froze, cringing at the thought of her being tied to that damn chair where he watched so many tortures unfold, where he even partook in a few. 

He remembered that he continued to tell himself that he was doing this for Shujin as a whole, and in hopes to help gain him fame as a phantom thief, just so he could target the bigger more corrupted men. He convinced himself that he wasn’t enjoying the sadistic acts he committed and that it was all to earn Kaneshiro’s trust.

Makoto’s face fell in sadness, she knew what he meant. “How did you… Why?” She rephrased her question, looking back up at him. “Why did you join?”

He sighed and shrugged, shaking his head. “It wasn’t like I wanted to join.” He admitted. 

Thoughts began to race through his head, ‘She already learned I was Yakuza but she doesn’t know about the Phantom Thief thing, yet, I can easily lie.’

“You remember that time where a lot of kids at Shujin were being used by that Kaneshiro guy and his gang?” He asked, receiving a quick nod from Makoto before he continued. “I went to investigate and found myself at Shibuya standing the back alley, right beside that Unbreakable store and there were some men there. They saw that I had witnessed whatever deal they were making and then before I knew what was happening I was trapped as another one of these guys in a gray trench coat and a military cap came up from behind me, next thing I know, I’m in a limo with these guys.” 

And with that, he explained a very elaborate and detailed lie. Something he was too good at doing. And he told this lie, at least only on how and why he joined. 

Kaneshiro sat in a VIP booth of his own little club that he had been running. It was titled the Indigna Club and was a sleazy underground club if sleazy was even enough to describe it. Ren remembered walking in and getting smashed with scents he thought he’d never forget, cigarettes, alcohol, vomit, sweat, and it reeked of body odor throughout the entire complex. He was stunned by the loud thumping bass as he walked past the long and narrow stage, being shoved along to head up the stairs. As soon as he got up, he could tell the music had died down but he couldn’t help but notice the smell of cigars, cigarettes, and other drugs had grown immensely, he was still ushered along by the man with the trench coat and the other in a black suit, who he came to learn were named Iwai and Haito. He then distinctly remembers walking into the booth, seeing Kaneshiro sitting down at the end with a bunch of ladies around him, all giggling in fanatics as they catered to his every need. The man was greasy and that wasn’t a lie. Ren kept his aloof expression and eyed down Kaneshiro with an alarming glare, which immediately earned a response from Kaneshiro. 

“I like this kid’s look.” Kaneshiro admitted, sitting up and leaning forward, clasping his hands as he supported his weight by putting his elbows on his knees. “He looks like someone who wouldn’t let anyone get in his way from his goal.” He said with a smirk. “Just like me…”

Ren winced at the already drawn comparison and the sliminess in his tone, he nearly gagged from being so disgusted with everything he was seeing. 

“What is your name?” Kaneshiro asked, looking at him with a cocked eyebrow as he slowly leaned back, crossing one leg over his other.

“Akira, Akira Kurusu.” Ren stated. He had a feeling it would’ve helped him later on if he were to remain anonymous throughout it all.

“Well, Mr. Kurusu. You have come to face a certain predicament from what I’ve heard. It sounds to me you witnessed one of our transactions.” He said, that disgusting smirk growing wider. “And now you only have two options!” 

Ren was curious to hear these ‘options’, but anxiety clearly started to build in him as sweat began to build up in his brow. “What are my options?” He asked, his voice as calm and relaxed as ever.

“Well, you either become a helper of ours- or rather a helper of mine. Or…” He paused, looking up at Iwai with his slimy smirk. “Akira Kurusu is on the headlines, missing.” He said, returning his icy glaze to Ren.

“Well it doesn’t sound like I’ve got much of a choice.” He scoffed in return, “What do you want me to do?” 

Kaneshiro grinned. “You’re quite perceptive to understand that a mob boss like me hates questions…” He said quietly. “Now, I want you to help me out with a few jobs.” Kaneshiro stood up and, shimmying his way out of the booth and gestured to Akira to follow him. 

Ren simply stood up and turned, following shortly after. 

This was where Ren’s story turned from a simple fable to the truth of what he had experienced and what had happened in his first two months with the gang.

It turned out these weren’t exactly ordinary jobs that Kaneshiro took recruits on, he figured this out due to all the bizarre looks he got from clearly more experienced members who were apart of Kaneshiro’s inner circle. He even overheard a few questions thrown at Kaneshiro

“Why is there a newbie?”

“Who is the green grass back there?”

“What the hell is this kid doing here?”

These questions were usually dismissed by a glare from Kaneshiro and that was that.

Ren soon learned that these jobs happened to be drug deals, international arms trades, one of the worst was when he was taken to the basement of Kaneshiro’s club.

They were introduced to a plain white room with a simple chair in the middle. Kaneshiro brought Ren in alone, and soon another pair of men joined them. Iwai practically dragging in a man who had a black bag over his head, his hands handcuffed behind his back. He was set up in the chair and finally woke from what Ren assumed wasn’t a voluntary sleep. 

Kaneshiro smirked and began asking rhetorical and completely unanswerable questions to the man, toying with him as he got a brutal slap and punch with every question that was answered wrong.

“What is the answer to the universe?” Kaneshiro asked,

“Oh- Oh fuck! Uhm… Forty-two!” The man retorted, thinking that a simple American novel was what Kaneshiro was hinting at.

Kaneshiro punched him, “No, it’s money you imbecile!” 

After a few more of those questions, Kaneshiro took out a pistol from his suit jacket pocket, putting it to the man’s head. He was about to pull the trigger before he paused, snickering as he saw Akira turn his head away as he anticipated the gunshot.

“It’s okay to be afraid, Akira.” Kaneshiro said with a grim tone in his voice. “But the best feeling in life is to face those fears!” He said, grabbing the bag that was covering the man’s head and tossing it off to reveal the bruised, tear-stained, and snotty face of the man underneath. His eyes were bloodshot and he was panting heavily, blood trickling out of his mouth.

Kaneshiro grinned and walked over to Akira, who was still shying away from the horrid view. He grabbed the teenager’s hand, opening the boy’s palm and set his pistol in it, watching as Ren wrapped his fingers around the grip, his pointer finger hovering just a few centimeters away of the trigger. “Yes, face your fears.” Kaneshiro urged as he guided the boy in slow steps, holding the back of Ren’s hand that gripped the pistol in his own. He stood over the boy’s shoulder as he helped Akira raise the pistol and put it to the man’s head, who was screaming and begging, praying for his life. 

Akira’s finger wrapped around the trigger, the tip of his index finger gently rubbing up and down the cold steel of the gun. 

“Please! God no! I didn’t even do anything wrong!” The man begged.

“I didn’t hurt anyone! I made your profit, Kaneshiro! I made you all of the money!” He continued.

Kaneshiro smiled warmly and looked at the man from behind Akira’s shoulder, still holding the boy’s arm in place. “No, but I’ve simply grown tired of you!” He said gleefully. He then turned his head to Akira, “Now shoot.” He ordered, using his free arm to land a rough punch to the boy’s gut.

The punch sent a shock of pain through Ren’s body, making his fist clench as a result of the pain.

**_BANG!_**

Ren attempted to stop himself but his eyes widened as he heard the ear-deafening explosion. He yelped out in sheer terror as he saw the once white wall get coated with thick red paint. 

He screamed in terror as Kaneshiro took the gun from him, Ren falling hunched over onto his knees, vomiting on the ground beside the now dead man’s feet. 

“Guess what, Akira?!” Kaneshiro said smugly. “You’re the only person I can trust… You pull the trigger when I order you too… That earns you the spot as my second-in-command.” He said with a snicker, leaving the room.

Ren nearly gagged in real time as he retold the story, nearly throwing up on the floor right then and there. “T-That’s how… I came to be in the Yakuza.” He said, his voice trembling as tears welled in his eyes. He brushed them away with the back of his hand. “Then he had that whole change of heart, leaving the Yakuza behind and turning himself in… And you know what happens when the head goes down, the next guy in line becomes the leader.” 

She nodded slowly, having watched many Yakuza movies and studied the chain and society within the Yakuza in her studies at her current university. 

“I’m still trying to figure out a way to leave. To disappear from that life.” He said with a soft sigh, recovering from the harsh memory “I plan on doing it soon, though.” 

“Why are you leaving now?” Makoto questioned, finally moving away from her frozen place on top of the staircase to the couch, sitting down. 

“To protect those I care about. I can’t have gang members walking in on Sojiro’s cafe, nor can I have them banging on your door.” He admitted.

“You are willing to throw away your position just so we can be... friends?” She asked again, seeing him turn to face the mirror.

“That and to preserve my own sanity.” He said, noticing the blood continue to trickle down his forearms, up to his hand, and past his knuckles, dripping off the tips of his fingers.

She nodded. Everything was happening so fast. ‘Only friends? No way, friends don’t protect and take beatings for one another, right?‘ She decided to shy away from the topic for now. She sighed as she stood back up and marched downstairs.

“Sir, do you have a medical kit anywhere, by chance?” She asked.

Sojiro cocked an eyebrow and nodded with a confused look, grabbing one out from underneath the bar and handed it to her, receiving a quick ‘Thank you’ from Makoto before she disappeared back up the stairs. 

“Amamiya-kun, we’re getting your arms cleaned up. Come over here.” She said as she walked up to him, holding up the medkit for him to see. 

He shrugged and walked over to the couch, taking a seat as Makoto went to work.

She opened the back up, grabbing some wipes out of the pack as she cleaned the blood up and off his hands and arms, making her way up until she reached the wound where she grabbed some gauze, pressing it gently against his wound and wrapped it around his bicep multiple times, the bleeding beginning to slow.

She then repeated the same process for his other arm, shutting the medkit and resting it on the ground beneath her feet. Makoto let out a quiet and relieved sigh as she leaned her head back against the back of the couch. 

“Now… Tell me everything.” Makoto ordered, side glancing over at him. 

Ren was out of it, thinking and planning of ways to make his escape from the gang. He hummed as he came out of thought, looking over at her. “Alright.” And from there on, he continued what to talk about what he had done the past year, alongside the Yakuza, at least. He made sure to not bring up the Phantom Thieves once in his retelling.

She stood in quiet awe, as his story took at least two to three hours to unfold. He had even gotten up and began pacing around when he brought up the time Kamoshida almost took advantage of Makoto, when he battled off plenty of his own team members, having to gain superiority from them, when he fought Iwai and Haito for the number one position, when he had brought up how he went about ruling the Dragon Oni in the shadows. ‘That’s his nervous tick’ she thought to herself. She noticed movement on his work table, noticing an all black cat who must’ve been his.

Once he finished his story, he sat down on the end of his bed. “I thought that I’d die with those secrets.” He said, smiling in pity. “And here you are, with the full story, which I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me.”

_Meow_

He sighed snapping back “Shut up, Morgana.” He sighed, returning his gaze to Makoto, who still sat on the couch. “Now what? You gonna tell your sister?” 

She shook her head, still at a loss of words. He had been carrying this burden on his back, for two years. She couldn’t even fathom the stress he felt, the terrors he witnessed, the hell he went through. “Amamiya-kun.” 

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” 

“First, please put a shirt on.” She hesitated before speaking, her face growing a light pink. “We are going to go out to eat some lunch, together.” 

He shrugged and stood up. “But I’m paying.” He said calmly and walked over to his small wardrobe box, grabbing out a black turtleneck and slipping it over his head, reaching down and grabbing a gray peacoat, slipping it on. 

He reached around and grabbed another peacoat, a teal one. “You left this, by the way.” He said, tossing the coat to land on the couch beside her. She nodded and slipped it on, standing up and heading down the stairs, grabbing Ren by the wrist and practically dragging him out, formulating the plan for the rest of the day inside her head, calculating just how everything would play out. 

He ‘followed’ her down, even though it was more so him just trying not to fall. Makoto walked ahead of him with a delighted smirk on her face as Sojiro spoke to the boy behind her. “Looks like someone is out on a date!” The cafe owner snickered, “I’m proud of you, kid. Besides, she’s pretty cute.” Ren’s face immediately flushed red, burying his chin against his chest while using the collar from the coat to hide his blush. 

She paused as they got outside of LeBlanc, turning to face him. “You look awfully red.” She said with a small chuckle afterward, her face burning crimson as well. “I guess I could consider this a… uh... date.” She said quietly to herself, raising a loose fist to her chin, the joint of her index finger pressing against her lips as she pondered. “My very first…” She choked on that foreign word once more “...date is with a Yakuza Capo.” She sighed, shaking her head before realizing that Ren had heard her whole monologue.

He had _that grin_ on his face again, the teasing and dare she say sexy. Her eyes widened, her face burning into a red that he had never seen before. He let out a sly and quick laugh. “Well… You’re the one who asked for this.” He said with a grin, offering his hand out to her. 

“I-I… umm. Yeah, I suppose I did!…” She stammered, giggling softly afterward. 

She noticed his hand gesture and took it rather quickly, which caught Ren off guard, evident by his widened eyes. ‘Curse me, I’m acting too clingy already! But his hand is so warm and it feels safe to be at his side. No way he is as bad as he said he was.’ She was lost in thought, which Ren could tell by now. She always spaced out and looked off to the side, occasionally bringing her knuckle to her chin. 

“Earth to Niijima. I repeat. Earth to Niijima.” He said with a sly smirk as he waved his free hand in front of her. 

She snapped back to reality. “Right! I’m sorry. Where were we off to, again?” She asked, only to receive a confused look. 

He couldn’t hold in a quiet chuckle that had built up inside of him. “You asked me out on this date. But I guess I know a place.” 

“R-Right... Let us go.” 

He nodded and intertwined his fingers with hers, walking slowly through the streets as she held tightly onto his hand. Ren really didn’t mind at all, but he knew there was some ulterior motive behind this ‘date’ and it was a matter of time before he learned. He sighed softly and shook the thought out of his head and enjoyed it for what it was.

Meanwhile, Makoto practically clung onto his arm as they passed through the crowds at Shibuya Station. The two boarded, only being pushed closer together with the crowds of people piling into the train.

Ren had found himself with his back to the window, being pressed against from all directions, he looked down to see the one pushing on his chest, meeting the near red eyes with his own dull and gray ones. 

Makoto hadn’t realized why Ren was smirking when he looked down at her but she quickly realized as her hands were pushed up on his chest, her whole body’s weight being pushed against him. Of course, she wasn’t clinging on to him like so on purpose, she just got shoved and simply caught herself was all!

After the claustrophobic and clenched ride, they finally got off in a small town. Then, he held her hand like it was second-nature for him and that they’ve done it a thousand times. Ren looked over at Makoto with a smile as they walked and entered a small and old diner, the place decorated with dark oak wood, each of the booths being made up of wood with a small white pillow to sit on. 

Ren took a seat across from her and rested his elbows on the table, his chin resting on his hands as he looked at her. “Alright. Now cut to the chase. Why did you ask me out on a date?”

She flinched at the bite in his tone, looking down at her hands in her lap. “Like I said.” She paused, “I wanted to go out for something to eat with you.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Out of kindness or pity?” He asked, that same venomous tone in his voice. His voice was a near growl now.

She flinched once more, her voice trembling as she spoke, beginning to believe he really was a scary and harmful person. “Ki-Kindness.” 

“Hmph. This is clearly a set up of sorts. Let me guess, there will be three or four police cruisers outside after we’re done and I bet you have a recording of my story back at LeBlanc… It’d make for awfully strong evidence.” He said, his face cold and stern.

‘What did he not mention that made him this paranoid?’ She asked herself, looking sadly at her lap as she shook her head. “No… Simple lunch, that’s all, Amamiya-kun.” 

He looked at her with a frown. “I guess I’ll find out one way or another.” He said, looking aside. 

She began to grow frustrated, throwing out all formalities to catch his attention “Hey, Ren?” 

He hummed, not even bothering to speak to show his attention to her.

“Why are you so paranoid?” She asked with a stern and intense glare in her eyes.

He let out a quick and short burst of laughter, shortly after recovering he shook his head, an evil smirk on his face. “Cause people are evil, the justice system is flawed, there’s only one thing that’ll ever protect me in this world and that’s me. I’m the only one who won’t hurt me, torture me or abuse me.” He said, waving his hand as he dismissed the question.

She sunk, all frustrations immediately wiped out by his clearly upset tone, “Have I hurt you?” She asked, her voice now as quiet as a mouse. “I-I really hope I haven’t…”

He shook his head. “Not yet, anyway.” 

She frowned and looked back down at her hands in her lap, seeing how she clasped her fingers together so tight that her knuckles grew pale. 

“But if you really do stay true to your word, then I suppose you’re better than the rest of them.” Ren mumbled quietly, watching as a waiter arrived to their table.

“Greetings, what can I get you two?” He asked, bowing with his head before he took up his pad and paper.

“I’ll have some green-leaf tea and…” He trailed off, taking a peek at the menu before hesitantly saying “And chicken fingers.” 

Makoto couldn’t help but smirk as she heard his order, looking up to see him looking aside, a tint of pink in his cheeks. She looked up towards the waiter, “I’ll have a water with some ramen, please.” 

The waiter nodded and took off without another word, heading to the kitchen in the back.

Makoto watched as the waiter disappeared, turning back to face Ren as she leaned over the table and spoke in a low whisper. “Mr. Yakuza Capo ordering chicken tenders?” Makoto cocked an eyebrow, a smug smirk finding itself plastered on her face.

“Oh, shush!” He groaned, leaning his head back. “Can’t a man enjoy some chicken tenders?” He said with a sigh, beginning to retreat back into his shell. 

Yakuza Capo. 

He repeated it in his head, over and over again. He grit his teeth and his hand that was resting on the table clenched into a tight fist. 

Makoto saw his tension. “Hey,” She said quietly, “I was just kidding.“

“No. You’re right.”

“Eh?” 

“I’m just a criminal living like a child.” He muttered quietly. “Maybe everyone was right when I first moved… Maybe I am a monster.” He continued, spiraling further and further down.

“Ren.” She said in a pain-stricken voice. “Please stop, I never said anything like that.”

“I can’t believe you, nor trust you.” He snapped back, that venomous hatred in his voice once more. “You’ll hurt me like all of the others. You all do nothing but hurt me.” He growled lowly, only to be interrupted by the waiter who brought their food, setting the plates and cups in front of the two.

He frowned as he stared down at his food, Yakuza, Thief, Criminal, Delinquent, Monster. These words continued to repeat inside his head. His lips parted as he got lost in thought and shortly he after, he began to bite his lip due to the nerves. 

Makoto nodded in thanks to the waiter as he left, turning back to the boy. “Ren?” She asked.

No response.

She reached out and rested her hand on his curled up fist, “Ren!” She said repeated, this time louder than before.

He felt her touch and fire shot through his arm, he ripped his hand away from her and pressed against the corner of the booth. “Don’t… Touch me.” He said, curling up into a small ball of fear, his eyes wide. “I don’t want you to get hurt!” 

Makoto flinched as he reacted so violently, looking at him with wide and glossy eyes. “Why will I get hurt?” She asked, prodding him with questions.

“I’m a monster, a criminal, a delinquent.” He said, his voice trembling in anger and self-pity. 

He didn’t even know what he was saying anymore. He was panicking, she knew everything about him- well almost everything. He began to take short and quick breaths. ‘She will hurt you, she will hurt you, she will hurt you.’ He repeated in his head, it almost becomes a painstakingly loud chant. ‘Trust no one, trust no one, trust no one!’ The chant continued in his head. He whimpered softly as he clenched his fists in his lap now

Even though she only caught back up with Ren for two days, it felt like a century to her. She had learned so much, saw so many emotions expressed from one boy, then the memories of her and him from the year prior came rushing against her, and so did the feelings. The countless times he protected her, the beatings he took for her, the abuse he suffered due to her curiosity with the Yakuza, the mental strain of having to protect her. ‘I was only his tutor! Why did he care so much for me? Did I miss something? Wait-’ She froze. She looked at the horrified boy in the corner. ‘All those beatings… The abuse… The shielding… He did it all because he wanted me to notice something about him, but I was too ignorant at the time to realize! I always thought he was just the delinquent but he wasn’t… Not back then.’

Then it struck her, she knew why he was paranoid. She remembers hearing him talk about it when she interrogated him, wanting to hear the truth from his own mouth.

Ren sighed as he leaned against the wall, enjoying the peace and quiet of the student council room when she entered. He opened an eye and looked at the student-council president who returned the stare with a cold and stern glare. 

“Amamiya-kun.” She said, “I’m Makoto Niijima or Niijima-Senpai. Now with introductions out of the way, let’s cut to the chase.” She paused, gesturing for him to take a seat as she did so.

Ren nodded in understanding and greeting as he sat down, slouching in the chair.

“Tell me… What happened that got you tried for assault?” She asked. 

Ren looked at her with an aloof expression before his face grew sad as he began telling his story. 

“My friends, my family, my accomplices, my teachers, everyone I knew scorned me for being such a despicable creature. The ones I trusted most backstabbed me and sent me here.” 

After it was finished, Makoto gave him a simple “I see. Thank you.” And left the room, immediately regretting that she had made him bring up such a tragic story and past, only for her to leave the room with little to no acknowledgment. ‘Curses! I wish I knew what to say! Now he probably thinks I’m trying to spread more rumors…’

She also remembered another time, Ren had shown up to school walking with a very apparent limp and was covered in bruises and cuts. Of course, that only spread more rumors about the school, which lead to Makoto calling him down to the student council office. 

Once he arrived, he was greeted with the distressed and worried look of Makoto. “Amamiya-kun, Are you injured? What happened?” She asked as she began to rise from her seat.

He looked down at his feet before his head snapped back up to lock eyes with her. “Just some kids ganged up on me… It’s no big deal, really.” 

“Did you at least defend yourself?!” She had hoped that the boy had defended himself against the punks who ganged up on him, part of her rooting for him to stand up for himself and to prove to everyone they were just rumors.

He shook his head. “No.” 

She frowned. “Why didn’t you?” 

“Because I’m the delinquent, the story would be spun and then I’d get expelled.” He said with a short sigh, walking to the table and taking a seat. 

She nodded, humming in understanding. “I’ll try and handle this at once. I’ll interrogate these boys and hopefully, the principal will take ac-“ 

“No.” He interrupted 

“Why not?” 

“These weren’t Shujin students. They weren’t students at all.” He said quietly, looking aside.

Her heart wrenched. ‘Some adults beat him up? Why though!? What did he do?!’

“Anyways…” He sighed again, “Niijima-Senpai, I need to thank you.” 

Her eyes widened and she tilted her head towards him. “W-What?”

“For taking time out of your day to tutor me… and stuff.” He mumbled

She grinned proudly and nodded. “Of course. Studying with another person is far more engaging. But please tell me what happened to you!” 

He let out a quiet laugh, thinking to himself. ‘That smile, adorable.’ “It’s fine but can I ask you something, Niijima-Senpai?”

“Of course, you can ask me anything.” 

“Do you….err… Have a boyfriend?” He asked, attempting to keep his phrasing as least awkward as possible.

She shook her head. “No. Never had, either.” She said with a short shrug. “I feel like if there was a test on love, I’d probably flunk it.” Makoto giggled softly afterward, sighing softly as she recovered from her short chuckle.

‘Want to study love together?’ He nearly asked, but held off. “I see.” And then the bell rang, causing the two of them to nod to each other as a form of good-bye.

 

She looked aside in sadness, slipping out of the booth and took a few strides, sitting down on the same side as him now. She turned her torso to face him. “Ren.” She said calmly, her voice gentle and sweet.’ I wasn’t able to capitalize on my emotions back then, but I can now.’ She told herself.

Ren peeked out from behind his knees, looking at her with a soft and sad stare in his eyes. “Please… Don’t hurt me, I’m broken enough!” He practically pleaded, his nonchalant demeanor completely shattered to bits. 

Reached over to his hand that rested on his knee, grabbing it with a kind and gentle touch. “Ren, look at me.” She ordered.

Ren complied, flinching as he felt her, but keeping his ground nonetheless. 

“I won’t ever hurt you…” She said as she scooted closer to him, her other hand reaching out and cupping his cheek, her touch as soft as ever. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, “I have no intention of harming you.” She said before she dipped down and kissed his cheek before she rested her forehead against his, their noses touching. 

Ren froze as he felt her delicate and soft lips plant sweet and burning hot sensations across his skin. All the walls and shields he had built for himself, the walls that kept everyone away from his true emotions and fears, collapsed with both kisses. “M-Makoto?” He asked, his voice low and calm.

“Yes?” She asked, not bothering to back up from his face. 

”You won’t hurt me?” 

She pulled her head back and shook it. “No, I will not.” She said before being pulled tightly into a hug, her arms pinned to her sides as he clung onto her. 

He simply nodded, keeping himself in pure silence as she clung onto him. 

“But… I’ll hurt you.” He finally mumbled, his voice muffled by her shoulder. 

She shook her head. “No. You won’t.” She said before pulling away from the hug, holding Ren by both of his shoulders, locking eyes with him. “You know how I said that I’d flunk a test about love?” 

He frowned but her question piqued him and he cocked an eyebrow, curious as to what she was hinting at. “Yeah. I do.”

Ren noticed Makoto’s face grow a dark red, her words fumbling out her mouth as she attempted to keep herself composed.

“Well, back then I didn’t understand my feelings at the time, but I do now and I know what I want now.” She paused, “And what I want, is for both of us to be there for each other, as study partners!” She grew excited, but her thoughts began to get the best of her. ‘What a horrible time to ask him that! What are you thinking?! He was just having a breakdown! Get a hold of yourself, Makoto!’ 

His eyes went wide, ‘Is she actually asking me out?!’ Before he could even come up with a rational answer, he mumbled out a quiet. “I think I’d like that.” And along with all his walls of distrust and secrecy that were broken, his walls of self-pity, fear, sadness, loneliness, also began to break down, but those would certainly take more time.

She was shocked to hear his answer come as fast as it did, but her shock was suppressed by a grin. “That settles it!” 

‘Shit, what did I get myself into and what do I do, now?’ Ren asked himself as he turned and began to eat, nibbling slowly on his food and taking a few sips every now and then until it was all gone, Makoto reaching over the table and grabbing her plate of food, eating alongside him with a prideful grin on her face. ‘Well, it looks like she overcame an obstacle of hers as well… Just as I did…’ He pondered as he looked over at her. 

‘I guess I may finally be able to get my life back onto a normal path… If I have Makoto to help me, that is.’ His thoughts continued, going back and forth on whether he should completely give in to Makoto or if he should hold back.

“Ren.” Makoto said as she grabbed his hand with her own, bringing him back to reality, “Make sure you eat.” She ordered before she went back to eating.

He grinned and nodded slightly. “I will.”

‘I’m just going to enjoy this for the time being.’ He thought.

**Cafe LeBlanc  
Evening**

Ren had given himself some time to think about his new situation that he threw himself into, the problems it could arise, the ways he could now be blackmailed. He clenched his teeth and sighed in frustration, taking a seat on the end of his bed. “I need sleep…” He muttered to himself as he got changed out of his clothes, walking to his bed in a simple black shirt and pajamas. 

Morgana meowed in agreement, “Yeah. Let’s get you some sleep!”

He suddenly got a text, taking a look at his phone and seeing it was from Makoto.

**M:** Hey, Ren! I was just texting to say thank you for today and I’m really here to help you. I will not hurt you!

He chuckled, almost being able to hear her motivated voice towards the end. He felt like something was burning in his chest as he thought about today, the spots where her lips kissed still a raging inferno. 

**R:** Thank you, Makoto, for not turning me in and for hearing my story. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, maybe stop by the cafe while I’m working so you can study? 

She grinned, holding the phone above her head as she lied back on her bed. 

**M:** Please, I've had a crush on you for the longest time, it'd be cruel to myself if I turned you in. And I certainly will be sure to stop bygrsg 

**M:** Oops!

**R:** You okay? 

**M:** Yes! Sorry, I just dropped my phone on my face!

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle as he began to lean back on the bed, resting his head on his hand and imagining the scene unfold in front of him and how red she’d be from embarrassment if he witnessed it. 

**R:** Alright. I need some sleep, you do too. Goodnight, Makoto.

**M:** That’s my line, but goodnight, Ren! 

“No, that’s Morgana’s line.” He whispered quietly to himself before he set his phone aside, shutting his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you again for reading my series and for all the positive feedback on my last chapter!
> 
> In this chapter, I was going for something a lot more sinister and dark, only to compliment it with paranoia and then the cherry on top was some simple fluff. (Which I cannot lie, I got the forehead kiss idea from the SPLENDID fic "Cop and Robber," which I really do recommend that everyone goes and reads, it is a true masterpiece.) 
> 
> My goal during this was to show the darker past to Ren, or rather, 'Akira.' 
> 
> I personally believed that his constant mood swings and tone changes reflected well on what could be seen as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, my main focus on this chapter was certainly put into Makoto trying to figure out the mess of moods that was Ren Amamiya. 
> 
> Since a lot of this chapter was based around the softer side of Ren and opening up, the next chapter will be more about the very cruel and terrifying persona "Akira Kurusu" that Ren has taken up. 
> 
> (Hint for next chapter: Ren gets very angry.) 
> 
> Again, thank you all so very much for reading and once more, another shout out to my good friend Shibe for her constant support whenever I got anxiety about posting these stories! 
> 
> Also, huge thanks to one of the more common commenters I see, which is shifty_cat, who has been giving really great criticism and plenty of kind words. Thank you, it means a lot!


	3. Chapter 3: Akira Kurusu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto's curiosity gets the best of her and she decides to check up on the Indigna Club that Akira had mentioned was the center of the Dragon Oni's activity, however, things go slightly astray when one of the members knows just who she is and who her sister is, landing Makoto in a difficult spot, to say the least.
> 
> And now, Akira Kurusu has made a return to the club after what seemed like a disappearance. There's only one problem, Akira isn't very happy.

**5/13  
Daytime & Evening**

He continued to hear whispers throughout the day, every single one mentioning his Yakuza affiliation. He whispered to himself “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine. They’re simply rumors.” He’d continue to tell himself. 

He stood up and walked out of class as the bell rang, heading out of the school to return back to Yongen-Jaya and to the safety of LeBlanc. Once he finally arrived, he went upstairs to change out of his academy clothes and slipped on a cream-colored cotton shirt, a pair of blue jeans and his normal boots he wore.

He went back downstairs, putting on his apron and walking to the door, opening it and flipping the sign on the outside to ‘open.’ 

Then he waited.

And waited…

 _bzzt!_

Ren took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it, seeing a text from Kishito that made his face fall, everything was too coincidental. Makoto wasn’t responding, she was 30 minutes late, and now the troublesome first-year is texting him. 

**K:** Indigna Club, VIP Section, hurry, I got something the boss might like.

He immediately took off his apron, sighing softly as he walked back to the door, flipping the sign and walking upstairs. He quickly got changed into attire that was suspicious, to say the least. He slipped on the fit white slacks, slipping on a black collared shirt, a white vest that he buttoned up, then his white suit jacket that he left hanging open. He quickly did a red tie, one that had a singular dragon coiling up it towards his neck. He then took off his glasses, replacing them with a pair of aviator sunglasses and began to attempt to control his hair, brushing it so it was parted to the left of his head. as he walked out of the cafe, going completely unnoticed as he took a rather secret and elusive passage to the club.

As he entered, he could feel the bass thump against his chest. He knew just by the fragrance in the air, a foul mixture of liquor, cigarettes, and sweat. He looked at the bodyguard who blocked the door to the VIP, muttering quietly. “Akira Kurusu.” And with that, the guard immediately opened the door. 

“Welcome back, Akira.”

He slowly went up the stairs, putting on a casual and calm facade, putting on a serious face as he turned the corner and went towards the VIP section. He looked to the corner room that was covered by red drapes and looked through it, seeing Makoto with her hands tied behind her back and a distressed look in her eyes, he knew she didn’t recognize him at first glance.

He took one glance at her then noticed the other, rather young looking boy beside her who held a nasty smirk. He knew who he was, Kishito, he was a first year at Shujin who thought he was a big shot in the Dragon Oni. 

One bonus that Ren had going from him, was his anonymous stature as the boss. Nothing was disclosed after Kaneshiro’s disappearance, the only thing known to the majority of the gang was that a new shadow figure of a boss took over.

“What is it, kid?” ‘Akira’ said with a bite to his tone. “Why’d you contact me about some college student?” He asked, holding his calm and aloof stature, however, his words contradicted what his posture had portrayed. 

The kid raised his brows. “Why are you talking to me like some sort of superior, Akira.” The boy snickered.

Makoto’s ears perked up at the name, her eyes widening slightly. _‘Could it be him? Is it Ren?’_

“And this here is Makoto Niijima, sister of Prosecutor Niijima! This is a huge score! We’re gonna give her to the boss so now we can have ourselves an insider in the SIU!” The boy said, clearly proud of his catch. 

_‘It was too easy!’_ Kishito thought, thinking about how she had simply walked into the club, obviously searching for something because she was constantly looking around and asking all of the guards questions about Akira Kurusu and if he was known throughout the club. All Kishito had to do was tell her he was upstairs in the VIP section and boom, simply pin her against the wall and get the handcuffs, that he carried everywhere with him, on to her. The handkerchief in her mouth wasn’t exactly necessary but she was beginning to annoy him with even more questions about Akira.

“Because I am your superior, boy.” He said, clear annoyance in his voice. “And that’s exactly why _this_ is a problem.” He said gesturing to Makoto. “Boss plans on making the Dragon Oni a legitimate business and not just some foolish kidnapping scheme for children like you.” 

“How do you know what the boss wants?” The boy retorted, raising an arm and wrapping it around Makoto’s shoulder. 

Akira stood still, his eye twitching underneath the sunglasses, watching as Makoto’s eyes squinted and she slightly curled up, clearly trying to escape his touch.

“You don’t have any clue, do you?” Akira muttered, just loud enough for it to be heard over the music. That’s when a horrifying giggle escaped Akira’s lips. “You’re saying… That you… Don’t know who I am?” He asked as he walked into the small booth, with the boy and Makoto, letting the drape fall behind him.

“Yeah, who the hell are you to talk to me like that, Akira?” The kid asked, the same cocky and arrogant tone in his voice. “As far as I know, you’re still a shatei like me.” 

Akira sighed and shook his head, attempting to control the anger that began to rise in his chest, turning around as he was about to leave the small booth, looking at the kid. “Get your arm off of her and wipe that smug grin off your face.” 

Instead of obeying the orders, the boy put his hand on Makoto’s inner thigh, gently squeezing as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. A nasty smirk on his face. “I knew you’d say something like that and simply avoid this entire situation, Akira. You talk like you’ve got it, but you have no authority over me. None. At. All!” He said, chuckling quietly in victory as Makoto whimpered and attempted to hold in tears, which only lead to her crying in fear of what else he might do. Watching her break down into a trembling and weeping mess is what tipped Akira off. A button that should _never_ be pressed was just slammed. 

“Oh? I don’t!?” He screamed as he turned and saw what the boy was doing. “Iwai! Okisha! Haito!” He screamed, three larger men walking through the drapes into the small room, all standing behind Akira.

Kishito jumped at the sudden outburst and removed his hands from Makoto. Thoughts beginning to race through his mind. _‘Wait, Iwai and Okisha, those are lieutenants, why are they just abiding by his word?’_

Iwai spoke first. “Kishito…” He said, turning back to Akira “Why does he keep showing up with all these girls?” He asked, Akira. Looking down at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“I don’t know.” Akira responded, but he certainly knew what Kishito did to these said girls, “Now,” He said, walking back into the booth, standing directly in front of Kishito, who was now beginning to panic in confusion. 

Akira growled and grabbed the boy’s throat, slamming his head against the back of the wall before dragging him away from Makoto, walking him out the room and throwing him on to the ground, quickly getting him surrounded by Iwai, Okisha, and Haito. 

Makoto couldn’t see what was happening through the drapes, but she could definitely hear the boy cackling and coughing and this 'Akira' yelling.

The boy struggled to regain his breath, panting heavily as he spoke through distressed breaths. “What… are you…” He coughed, “Doing!?” He yelled, attempting to stand up but crumpled back down to only his hands and knees. 

Akira squatted down to Kishito’s height, seeing him eye to eye as he roughly cupped the boy’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “You wanted to know who I am? I’m the one who makes the rules and orders around here.” He said, standing up as he turned to Okisha and Haito. “Do what you will with him. Kill him, torture him, beat him, I don’t care! All I know is he’s trying to bring crime back into the clan which I eradicated last year. Make sure he doesn’t try it again.” Haito and Okisha nodded, allowing Akira to give the stunned boy an evil stare as he was dragged off.

His reasoning wasn’t because of the reintroduction of crime. It was because of what he had done to Makoto, touching her and harassing her, he could only imagine how long she had to sit by that freak, it made his blood boil. Even Akira knew that he has never been this angry in his life before.

Iwai sighed as he walked back to the room with the boy, stopping Akira just before he walked through the drapes. “Kid, I understand your anger, but isn’t sticking Okisha and Haito on him a bit extreme?” 

Akira’s face softened as he looked back at Iwai. “Do you have something that you love and want to protect, that you’ll do anything for their safety?” 

Iwai nodded, “Yeah, you know who...” 

Akira gestured with his head into the room. “Yeah and _that girl_ …” He trailed off. 

Iwai finally came to understanding. “I see. That’s your girl, yeah?” He asked, crossing his arms.

Akira simply nodded. “Yes. And I’m doing everything I can to protect her, and those who hurt her will be crushed with an iron fist, yada yada yada.” He said, waving his hand. “Anyways, I’ve got some serious apologizing to do, so you can go ahead and continue with what you were doing.” Iwai nodded and left, following after Okisha. 

Akira grimaced as he entered the booth, glad to see that Makoto didn’t look physically hurt or injured, just embarrassed and downright scared. He walked over to her, “I warned you.” He said sadly as he reached around Makoto, fiddling with a key that undid the handcuffs that held her wrists. She quickly took the handkerchief out of her mouth, spitting on the ground. 

“Who the hell are you?” She asked, “Are you... Akira Kurusu?” The name was familiar to her, as was his voice and stature. It had to be him, but there was no possible way that this Akira was the Akira Kurusu, her Ren would never snap like that, but the thought of if he did, terrified her.

He sighed and sat down beside her. Taking off the sunglasses and brushing a hand through his hair a couple of times for it to become the mess it usually was. “Yeah, It’s me.” He said simply.

“Oh no, Ren- I mean… Akira!” She embraced him in a hug, before breaking away shortly after, 

_‘She’s a quick learner.’_ He told himself.

“How did you find me?” She asked.

“That kid sent me a text.” He said quietly, looking at her with a sad expression on his face.

“Wh-What will happen to him?” She asked, concern in her voice. 

“Knowing Haito, he’ll probably be killed or wish he had been killed.” He muttered quietly, burying his face into his hands. “I wish none of this happened!” He groaned.

Her face went pale as a ghost as she heard that the boy might die. She gulped before speaking again, “That’s not right. I’m so sorry that all of this happened in the first place but you can’t just kill him! He’s barely sixteen!”

He looked up from his hands, giving her a cocked eyebrow as he did so. “Sorry for what? It’s my fault you’re here.” Akira paused. “And to be frank, he can die. I don’t even want to imagine what else he did to you…” He sighed sadly as he looked aside. _‘I may really have to leave the Yakuza…’_ He thought, losing focus as he began to ponder. _‘Besides, if she stayed on the same path, she’ll soon be a commissioner. I can’t have that…’_ And then the doubts began. _‘Do I love her that much? Do I love her enough to throw away what I’ve worked so hard to build up? With Iwai? Haito? Fuck, what do I do?!’_ And soon he came back to reality as he felt his body receive a small shove. He shook off his thoughts and turned to her. 

She looked at him with sad and glossy eyes, tears welting just above her bottom eyelid. “Akira…” She whispered, “Ren.” correcting herself, showing him that she wasn’t playing by his games or nicknames. “You will _not_ kill that boy…” She ordered, pausing before speaking again. “And I can tell you’re in thought. I don’t know exactly what your plan is… But I just beg of you, please never kill anyone ever again!” She mumbled quietly as she clung onto him, tears beginning to soak his shoulder as he embraced her in a tight hug. 

Makoto didn’t even know how to control her emotions at this point, she was angry at herself for getting herself in such a stupid situation, for forcing Ren to come and save her, but she was also angry at Akira for even thinking about killing a person over her. She was tired and sad, her headache from the foul odor of the building growing stronger, everything in this place was just terrible. _‘And to think he spent a year and a half here…’_

He sighed, “I can’t make any promises on what Haito and Okisha will do.” He mumbled quietly, moving away from the topic as he tended to her request. “I know, I promise I won't. I’m sorry you had to come here and go through all of this,” He said, gently running his hand through her hair. He could infer what she went through after seeing how much teasing and scaring Kishito had done in the past with other girls he brought in. 

Meanwhile, Kishito had already been strapped to the chair when Iwai had joined Haito and Okisha. He tilted the brim of his hat down, approaching the young boy who was still quaking in fear. “Kishito… Do you have something or someone you’d die to keep safe?” 

Kishito nodded

Iwai couldn’t help but chuckle smugly as he crossed his arms. “Well, you know what you did?” He asked, a teasing manner in his voice.

Kishito shook his head.

“Say your answer out loud, boy,” Iwai demanded

“N-No! I don’t know! Why did you even ask me that!” He broke out, tears rolling down his face in fear.

Iwai sighed. “This is why you don’t join the mafia when you’re 16, buddy.” He walked behind Kishito, placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “You can’t help but break down under pressure.” He continued. “Would you like me to tell you what you did?” 

Kishito nodded, confused albeit, but he wanted to be informed of his apparent heinous crime.

“You know how I asked you that if you had something you’d die to protect? Yeah. That girl…” Iwai chuckled as he trailed off. “She is the only thing Akira would die to protect. And you had the audacity to _grope_ her.” He said his grip becoming firmer on his shoulders, Iwai beginning to whisper in the boy’s ear. “ _Harass her…_ ” His grip grew tighter, “ _Kidnap her…_ ” Even tighter, his fingers beginning to dig into the small space between Kishito’s neck and his collarbone. “ _You violated, the only person that the boss would die for._ ” 

Kishito wailed in pain as he could practically feel his collarbone being crushed into small fragments from the steel grip that Iwai held. His eyes widened in both pain in fear as he learned just why Akira had snapped as he did. “Oh god… No…” He muttered quietly. “Please let me apologize, Akira has a good heart, I know he does. Let me apologize!” He began to beg. 

Iwai’s grip loosened as he let out a low chuckle and disappeared from the boy’s shoulders, he turned and grabbed a black bag, covering the boy’s head with it. He leaned down and unlocked the handcuffs, forcing Kishito to stand up alongside him. “Come on. Let’s go apologize…” He said, his tone still cold and as cynical as ever.

Soon they made their way to the booth, having to go a few hundred feet across the top floor to reach Akira and Makoto. 

Akira heard footsteps and quickly began to fix his hair, pushing it so it was parted to the left side of his head, slipping on the sunglasses as he stood up, waiting to see who was coming. He took a few side steps, standing in front of Makoto to protect her, just in case Kishito had miraculously escaped.

Iwai opened the drape and pushed the boy in, Kishito falling to his knees as a whimpering and crying mess. “Why is _he_ here, Iwai?” Akira asked in a vile and evil tone, looking back up at Iwai.

Iwai shrugged, “He wanted to apologize.” 

Akira knew that Iwai knew he usually forgave those who had wronged him and usually let them off with a few broken bones. However, this time was different. Just the sight of Kishito sent him into a hateful rage. “Oh!?” He laughed a vile and creepy laugh. “Is that right?” He said, walking around the table, grabbing the bag off the boy’s head and tossing it aside, grabbing tightly onto the boy's hair as he held his head up, the inner Kaneshiro beginning to show itself in Ren.

“You think you can just… apologize?” He asked, spitting his words with a hatred. His voice beginning to rise. “Even you just laying a finger on her would earn you a bullet to the god damn cranium!” He growled as he slammed the boys face into the corner of the table, blood splattering across the surface.

Makoto watched in horror at what her boyfriend was doing. She went wide-eyed as she saw the boy’s teary and snotty face get slammed into the glass table, seeing the glass clearly cracked. “Akira!” She said, attempting to stop his rampage.

He didn’t listen. “You dare touch her!? And now you want to apologize!?” He raised Kishito’s head, ready to slam it back down again until a loud scream stopped him.

“AKIRA!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, even making Iwai and Akira jump as they looked at her. “Remember what I said earlier. It isn’t right!” 

He looked at her and back at him. “If she forgives your vile behavior… Then I suppose I can let you go… Just know I have no intention of forgiving you myself, though.” 

Kishito wept in fear, looking up at Makoto with a bloody face. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know! I promise I’ll never do it again! I swear! Please forgive me!” 

Makoto froze as she looked at the desperation in his eyes and the sound of it in his voice. She sighed and nodded. “I forgive you, but be sure to never do anything like that again with any other girl ever…” She trailed off, shuddering as she could still feel his cold touch against her leg and his chapped and dry lips against her cheek. She shook those thoughts off and narrowed her eyes, “Now, Akira!” She said with a stern and much angrier tone. _Now Makoto_ was mad.

Ren frowned as he knew what was coming, Makoto walked up to him, grabbing his collar as she went past and dragged him along with her as Iwai went to help out the boy who just had the most intense emotional rollercoaster of his life.

As soon as Makoto pulled Ren into the first empty private room she found, she slammed the door shut and shoved Ren. “Ren Amamiya! You need to control your temper!” 

He flinched as she pushed on him. “I-I-I.” He stammered, tears filling his eyes. “I know I need to…” He continued. “I-I just couldn’t bear it! I’ve seen what that boy does with women he kidnaps, and when I saw him touch you… I couldn’t handle it!” 

She grabbed his collar and her volume had softened, however, her tone was still cold and very upset. “Well, you better figure it out…” She paused, growing quieter. “Because I don’t feel safe around you whenever you freak out like that, not like I do when you held me in that diner…” 

He froze. _‘I scared her?’_ Even Makoto could notice his face go pale and his eyes widen. She sighed and spoke again. “I’ll meet you at LeBlanc in an hour…” She turned and simply walked out, heading straight down the stairs and out of the sleazy club.

**Cafe LeBlanc  
Evening**

He sighed softly as he entered the store, having to deal with more of his ‘business’ had been keeping him stuck at the club late, which ended up with him just intimidating some of the lower-ranks and filling out certain international trade deals. While he was attempting to rid the Dragon Oni clan of crime, he still needed money to keep themselves on their feet. 

He shut the door behind him and locked it, adjusting his jacket and cracking his neck as he went for the stairs. He turned the corner and began stepping up the old wooden stairs, each step making a loud and obnoxious creaking sound. 

He finally reached the top and turned to look at his bed, noticing a figure sitting at the end of it. 

“Makoto.” He said, quite shocked that she actually stayed this late, she was set on meeting him. His face lit up with joy, but very quickly fell and he looked at his feet as he slid off his sunglasses, walking to the table and grabbing his real glasses, slipping them on as he ran his hand and ruffled his hair, allowing it to frizzle and return to it’s fluffy and unkempt style. 

“Ren.” She replied simply, not bothering to look over at him. 

He sighed and slipped off his jacket, resting it over the ledge to the stairs. He walked over to the small box that lied on the bottom of his shelf, pulling out a black tank-top and a pair of black sweatpants. He undid his collared shirt and dropped it to the ground.

As he did so, his bright tattoos caught Makoto’s attention and curiosity took her over as she turned and noticed his cut and toned back, along with the tattoos that helped express his lean and cut muscular build. Her face flushed a dark red and she turned away. _‘Stop staring! I’m supposed to be mad at him.’_ She pouted to herself, pursing her lips and holding in an exhale which caused her cheeks to puff out slightly

He slipped his slacks down shortly after undoing his belt, grabbing his other pair of pants, slipping them up before she could notice that as well. He mumbled as he looked at his old used up bandages on his arms, he undid them and tossed them on the floor with his other clothes. 

“I’m assuming you want to speak to me..?” Ren finally broke the tense and long silence, keeping his back to her with his hands in his pockets and his head turned to the side so he could see her out of the corner of his eye.

She nodded. “Yes, I do.” She took a deep breath, letting out a long and drawn out sigh. “This ‘Akira’ scares me…” She said, cutting immediately to the chase which was expected of a Niijima.

He nodded and turned around, looking at her with an aloof expression on his face. “I know… It’s his job to be terrifying.” He said calmly.

“Why are you referring to him as if he wasn't you!?” She asked, her head snapping over to stare at him with an intense glare.

“Because I don’t want to be like that anymore! It scares me more than anything!” He snapped back, stopping as he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I’m just unable to control my emotions when I’m in that place. So many memories, so many emotions, so many horrors, it really, _really_ , takes an effect on a damn teenager. I'm just a kid!” 

She nodded, “I understand that, but you have me now. You can’t go off making enemies like that and make me a target!” She said, balling her fists tightly as she looked away. “I want to stay with you. But I can’t if it means my life is endangered every single day…” 

_‘Oh no.’_ He thought. _‘It’s only a matter of time until she asks…’_ He knew what was coming, what was being hinted at.

“So I need you to make a choice, Ren…” She said, standing up and walking over to him, breaking the distance between her and him, standing mere inches away from his face. “It’s me or the Yakuza.”

 _‘Christ’s sake.’_

Silence had swept over the two. He stared deep into her crimson eyes, memories flashing through his head, his emotions hitting him like a truck as he thought of her leaving him for good. To be fair, he had gotten to know her exceptionally well throughout his second year and had gotten to become one of her only friends other than Eiko. 

“I will…” He began, looking away as he tried to escape that steely glare from the Niijima. 

He finally screamed at himself internally. _‘Happiness, Ren! Fucking choose whatever makes you happy! Iwai can handle the Dragon Oni! You can trust him, dammit! This is the woman of your dreams! You finally found a reason to escape the Yakuza!’_

He couldn’t exactly figure out a way to put his answer into words, so instead, he turned his head back, looking her in the eyes before he pulled her into a hug. “I can’t verbalize my answer, hopefully, this is enough.” He mumbled quietly.

 

Makoto was taken back by the sudden embrace but accepted it. “I’m sorry to put you to such a difficult decision but… I really care for you and your safety.” She pulled back from him, her hand resting gently on his cheek, “And my own, of course.”

He couldn’t help but let out a toothy smile. “I see that now…” But soon the smile disappeared and his lips remained parted as he began to simply admire her beauty. Her bright reddish-brown eyes, her chestnut brown hair with the french braid headband, the short shoulder-length cut, her slim but also muscular figure, somewhat matching his. _‘She is training to be a cop after all’_ He thought. 

“Ren?” She asked as she noticed his eyes begin to grow distant as she saw that he lost focus. 

He shook himself out of it, “Sorry. I was simply admiring your beauty.” 

Her cheeks grew a dark crimson. _‘Damn this boy, always making me blush, especially when I'm supposed to be mad. Wait I know how to get him back!’_

She grinned and grabbed the sides of his head with both of her hands, pulling his face towards her, whispered a sly “C’ mere, you.” Then their lips connected.

His eyes widened as he was brought into the kiss, but the softness and tender touch of her lips against his own made the hairs on his back stand up. He eased into the kiss, his arms lowered as they wrapped around her lower back, holding her as close as possible. 

Makoto’s reaction was somewhat the same, unexpecting of the tender and gentle touch of his lips. It shocked her when she thought about this boy being the same person as that boy in the club in the white suit and red tie. But the kiss had immediately tossed away all her previous anger with him, she only wanted the kiss to last as long as possible

The kiss finally broke, the two looking at each other as they caught their breaths. “Wow,” Ren said in quiet disbelief.

“W-what?” She asked, subconsciously beginning to tuck her hair behind her ear. _‘Was I a bad kisser?! Did he not want that to happen?! Oh no! What if I screwed up!’_

“I know you’re mad at me and all but…” He took his arm away from her, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked, now trying to avoid the beautiful eyes of Makoto. “C-Can we kiss again?” Ren asked, speaking quietly as his cheeks grew red.

 _‘At least he knows, but he stuttered? Is he really that flustered?’'Even though I'm mad at him, he's still adorable. And scary... Definitely scary, but most adorable right now.'_ She shook the thoughts off and looked at him“Of course, Ren.” She said calmly as the two of them leaned closer and pressed into another gentle kiss.

Ren couldn’t help himself anymore, all his previous doubts about the Yakuza had vanished. _‘This is what I need in life.’_ He whispered to himself. 

Makoto smiled into the kiss, her hand running through his wild black locks, gently massaging his scalp as she went through his hair. 

And once more, the kiss broke and the two stared at each other in an eerie, yet calming silence.

“Makoto… You wouldn’t mind spending the night, would you?” He asked.

She thought about saying yes, after all, she didn’t have school tomorrow so she very easily could. However, as her urges began to die down, her much more logistical side began to return to her. “I can’t stay.” She said, watching Ren’s face fall in sadness. “I can’t let you think you’re off the hook for your outburst, the kiss is all you’re getting.” She said, bringing a loose knuckle to her chin. “But I do believe this is a step in the right direction, just remember the decision you made,” Makoto said as she broke free from his warm embrace, walking towards the stairs. “I’ll talk to you later, Ren.”

He sighed softly, watching her begin to walk away from him and towards the staircase back down to the cafe. He nodded softly, _‘Getting Iwai in as leader isn’t going to be easy. I’m sure he hates being in the Yakuza as much as I do, but he is the only guy I could trust with that power.’_ He thought to himself, giving Makoto a small wave as she disappeared down the stairs.

“How about we go to sleep? You look awful.” Morgana chimed in, clearly waking up from a nap as evident by his long and drawn out stretch. 

“Didn’t you just wake up?” Ren asked as he walked over to the bed, sitting down as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

Morgana finished his small stretch and began heading for the stairs. “Yeah, I’ll go on a little walk then probably come back.” 

“Sounds good,” Ren said simply as he turned and tucked himself under the covers, resting his head on the pillow and shutting his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you for reading Chapter 3 and sticking with this series! 
> 
> For this chapter, I wanted to explore the very corrupted and crazier side of Ren. My goal was to have Ren have two completely opposite personalities- Akira Kurusu and Ren Amamiya. The reason being was because I wanted to sort of test myself to see if I were able to write the much more negative emotions in correspondence to the presence of the Indigna Club, using the location as a metaphor for the troubles and terrible emotional side of Ren, where he is known as his alternate persona Akira Kurusu. Then, towards the end, I wanted to make Cafe Leblanc stand metaphorically as Ren's 'righteous' side of his mind, where he is the sweet teenage barista known as Ren Amamiya. 
> 
> I really liked the thought of having two different locations resemble two different types of our favorite protag and how he both physically and mentally changes within both locations. 
> 
> Needless to say, I was proud of this chapter. While I was writing it, I did get carried away at times so there are a lot of conflicting emotions but I do believe that adds on to the fact that Ren and Makoto are simple teenagers who have been pushed into the life of crime (for Ren, at least.) 
> 
> Also, side-note. Since I finally caught up on where I was with my writing (I had all three chapter drafts written before I even posted the first one), expect slightly longer delays between the releases of chapters. I'm not sure if I will set a schedule but I'm shooting for 8 days at MAX between chapters. 
> 
> Once again, thank you all very much for reading and viewing my series! It really means the world, and if y'all don't mind, I'm going to shamelessly plug my twitter, mainly so I can try and connect with some you guys who are reading and possibly get ideas, and of course, give progress updates for future projects and with this current series!
> 
> So go ahead and follow me on twitter @BoBoMKI
> 
> Thank you all so much!


	4. Chapter 4: The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren decides to act upon his promise and decision he made to Makoto, he decides to leave the Yakuza and hands over the rank of capo on to his most trusted friend and lieutenant, Iwai. 
> 
> However, on his walk back from Unbreakable, he finds himself in a situation that was all too familiar to why he was sent to Shibuya, but he can't stop himself from helping. Which leads to a rather unpleasant exchange between a stout gang member and him.

**5/14  
**

**Evening**  


Ren grumbled as he sat in the cafe, watching over as the same few regulars showed up, ordered their same orders, then left shortly after.

Finally, the large grandfather clock had struck and he hung up his apron, walking to the door. He opened it and walked out, flipping the sign as he left, heading straight for Shibuya’s central square. 

As soon as he got to the streets, he walked past one of his favorite book stores and took a left into the alleyway, he looked up at the glowing green neon ‘Unbreakable’ sign, smiling. “It’s been a while.” He whispered to himself as he walked in.

“Hey, what’s u- Ren?” Iwai asked as he stood up slowly, his palms flat against the countertop.

“Yeah. It’s me.” He said quietly, looking aside from Iwai’s confused and shocked gaze.

“Why are you here?” He asked, still holding the stare. _‘Damn, it’s been forever! Why does he even need to be here? It’s not like he needs these toys anyways…’_ Iwai thought.

“You and I need to talk, Iwai… Let’s go to the back room.” He said as he walked towards the back of the store. “And lock the door.” 

Iwai sighed and nodded, “Alright. I’ll join you shortly.” He said, walking around the countertop to the door, locking it and turning back around, following after Ren to the back of the shop where the workshop was.

Ren jumped up and sat on a work table, his hands gripping tightly on the edges. He looked up at Iwai as the man walked in, giving him a solid and cold stare. 

“What is it you need to talk to me about?” Iwai asked, leaning against the wall, playing with the brim of his hat. 

“Well… You’re the only person I can trust in the Dragon Oni. You’re the only person who knows my real name for god’s sake!” Ren said, his grip growing even tighter as he combatted his feelings. _‘They were my only family. The only ones who treated me with any respect… And I’m abandoning them!’_ His mind raced, his heartbeat picking up, his mouth beginning to grow dry.

“Yeah, so?” Iwai asked, raising a brow at how clearly distressed Ren was.

”Iwai can you…” He said, pausing as he hesitated and scoffed out the rest of his request. “Can you take up this mantle? Can I trust you to lead this clan in the right direction?” He asked, looking back up at Iwai.

Iwai shrugged, resting his head back against the wall and rubbing his eyes. “Probably not nearly as well as you could since I’m no mysterious shadow figure. But I could probably manage.” He said nonchalantly.

“Wait- You’re not freaking out about this?!” He exclaimed, jumping off the table to his feet, standing up with a shocked expression. “This means I’m leaving you guys!” 

“Why would I be shocked?” Iwai asked, looking back at him.

“Because I am leaving!” He repeated. “That isn’t a problem!?” 

Iwai sighed and pushed himself off the wall, walking over to Ren and put his hands on both of his shoulders, dipping down to be eye-to-eye with the boy. 

“Ren. You’ve barely struck eighteen years…” He said calmly, which struck Ren as odd because he never felt comfortable when he was near Iwai, until now. “You need to remember who you are and what you are.” 

“And you know the answer to that?” He said back with a snarky tone in his voice.

“Yes, I do. You’re a damned kid, a student, a teenager who has got himself a girlfriend.” Iwai muttered. “It’s already wrong as it is having you be the leader at your age, but it’s even worse if I didn’t let you make a decision to leave the Yakuza.” 

“So,” Ren said, taking a deep breath. “You can take care of them?” 

Iwai simply nodded. 

“Good. Because I’m putting all of my faith in you, Iwai. Please do not let me down.” 

Iwai smirked, “Not the plan, boss.” Then immediately frowned afterward. “Sheesh, I’d never find myself calling an eighteen-year-old ‘Boss.’” He said, removing his hands from the boy’s shoulders.

“Anyways, go be a good diligent student, make better decisions than I did, it ain’t too late to change paths,” Iwai said with a grin, gesturing with his head to the door. “Now get outta here.” 

Ren returned the grin and nodded, “Right.” He said, heading for the door. He opened it up, taking a deep breath and turned around. “Thank you, Iwai.” And then he left. 

He tucked his hands into his pockets as he walked, a feeling of relief swelled over Ren. He took a deep breath and sighed in relief, _‘I almost have freedom…’_ He whispered to himself.

He clenched his teeth as he thought about the last thing that held him to his past, the thing that kept him chained to being a criminal. _‘How do I release myself of being a thief?’_ He questioned, walking faster and faster as he began to approach the station square.

Then he heard yelling, a man, a very vulgar man. 

Ren’s instinct immediately took over and he went in the direction of the yelling, seeing a man grabbing a woman’s wrist as he screamed at her. Ren noticed the woman was completely beginning to break down in fear and tears washed over her face. _‘No, not again… Just walk away.’_ Ren thought to himself. But his body disobeyed as he began to march towards the man. He stopped just a meter away from the man, giving him a cold glare as he spoke. 

“Sir? May I ask what you are doing to this young lady?” Ren asked.

The man turned, his short and stout stature forcing him to look directly up at Ren. “Leave, kid. Or you’ll get hurt too!” And at that time, Ren noticed the bruises and small cuts the covered the woman. _‘So he’s got a blade on him, huh?’_ He thought.

“Hmph.” Ren hummed as he kept his hands tucked in his pockets. He looked at the woman, “I’ve kept him distracted and you still refuse to run? Just go!” He said, pulling a hand out of his pocket and waved it.

“R-Right!” She said shakily as she turned and began to run off, stopping at the end of the street to give the boy one final look. 

The man growled as he turned to see her already running. “What the hell is wrong with you! Can’t you see I was talking to her!?” He growled, an ugly snarl spreading across his face.

“Talking?” Ren repeated, looking at him with a doubtful smile. 

“Makin’ her my bitch! So what? Same difference!” The man frowned and looked aside, his hand reaching into his back pocket in a very slow manner. “Boy, you do not know who I am. I’d suggest you don’t fuck with who you don’t know.”

“And who are you, kind sir? My name is Akira, Akira Kurusu. It is my truest pleasure to meet you.” Ren said, his tone changing slightly into something much more sinister and teasing. 

“Akira Kurusu of Dragon Oni, huh?” The man said with a smug grin. “The leader?”

His eyes widened slightly, _‘He knows?!’_ He was taken back, which the man recognized, a feral grin spreading across his lips as his hand reappeared from his back pocket, carrying a sharp silver blade, shooting directly at Ren’s gut. 

Ren attempted to grab the man’s wrist to stop the blade but he wasn’t in any position to defend himself and he felt a sharp pain in his side. He wailed out in pain, his hand traveling to where the blade now stuck out of his skin. He screamed once more and tackled the man to the ground, punching him in the face. Each movement Ren had made ached, his side feeling worse and worse with each breath. He could feel his shirt begin to soak and stick to his skin. 

“You bastard!” Ren screamed, pinning the man to the ground with his hands on his throat, grabbing the man’s neck and slamming his head against the concrete multiple times until he blood begin to ooze out from the back of the man’s head. 

Then he heard Makoto’s crying voice in his head _‘Promise me you won’t kill anyone!’_ He whimpered softly as he reached back into his back pocket, grabbing his phone and dialing the first person he could think of.

Makoto’s phone rang, waking her up from her sleep. _‘Who is calling me at this hour?’_ She thought to herself, reaching over to her nightstand, grabbing at the phone that buzzed. She saw who it was and sighed softly. “He should be asleep, what is he doing awake?” She frowned, answering the phone.

“Hello?” She asked,

No response, only heaving breathing coming from the other end.

“Ren?” She asked again.

“Y-Yeah?” He finally responded. 

Makoto could tell something was wrong as he began to cough violently, his voice thin and weak. “Are you okay? Has something happened!?” 

“I just need… some help getting back.” He was interrupted by a cough, followed by a shout. “Gah! Fuck!” He swore, “I need help getting home.” 

“What is wrong?!” She asked again, tilting her head against her shoulder to hold the phone and sitting up in her bed as she swung her legs out, changing out of her sleepwear into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt.

“ _I just need help getting home!_ ” He repeated.

“Okay, okay, I’m on my way. Where are you?” 

“Shibuya, Central Square…” He muttered quietly, 

She was about to hang up when she heard screaming on the other end, it wasn’t Ren though, no it was a much older man’s yell. Then she heard Ren scream afterward, followed by skidding sounds. _‘He dropped his phone.’_ She thought to herself, shooting out of her room and sprinting straight out of the front door, not bothering to care if she woke up her older sister. She kept the phone to her ear to hear what was happening, listening as she continued to run for the central square.

Ren screamed and dropped his phone as he was tackled back onto the ground, the same man he had pinned earlier now returning the favor. 

“Get the hell off of me!” Ren screamed, throwing a punch up blindly, 

The man took the hit to his face but responded with a much meatier and heavier swing, striking him across the face. It didn’t help that he wore rings on all of his fingers, making the pain that much worse for Ren as the metal dug into his cheek. 

Ren screamed again in pain, attempting to block whatever he could. Then, the rain of punches came down, left and right, left and right, he could feel his head whipping back and forth, each burst of pain making his body tremble, forcing him to release a loud grunt with every blow. 

The man was going berserk as he wailed out on the teenager beneath him. “You don’t know who you’re messing with!” He screamed, giving one last punch to Ren’s face before he leaned back in satisfaction, taking a deep breath to recover.

Ren groaned as the world spun above him, the outlines of his vision growing darker and hazier. He was losing blood, lots of it, and he took several blows to the head. “Nnnngg…” He hummed subconsciously, noticing the man sitting on top of him in victory. Until he saw a leg and the man’s head snap to the side.

Makoto finally made it, following the screams of Ren as she sprinted through the streets, listening to the full conversation as she ran. She found the two, noticing the two large blood pools on the concrete, and Ren on the ground with a large man on top of him. 

She quickly ran up behind the man and threw a kick, her Aikido lessons finally coming into use as her shin struck the temple of the man, sending him sprawling aside and clearly unconscious. Yet, She still turned to take a good look at the man, making sure he was out cold.

“Oh god, Ren.” She said, turning back to him as she noticed more blood spilling out from his stab wound. She kneeled down beside him, taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder, she cautiously lifted him up, wrapping her arm around his waist. 

Ren was able to stand, however, he was still unable to define who had come to help him, but whoever it was, he was thankful. He limped alongside them, his other hand clenching tightly onto the blade that was still sticking out of him. 

_‘I really need to stop helping random people on the street when a drunk bastard is attacking them. It only leads to bad things’_ Ren’s thoughts couldn’t help but move back to humor. It was one of his favorite coping methods since he usually made himself chuckle and allowed him to smile.

Makoto noticed Ren smiling slightly but quickly shrugged it off, limping him to the nearest hospital which was only a few blocks away. Once she finally made it, she could notice how half of Ren’s once white shirt was soaked in dark red, his face was bloody and bruised, his eyes swollen, but he was still smiling. She looked at the woman at the front of the desk, who was already on the phone calling for help. 

“A doctor is on the way, keep him as still as possible. It won’t be long until he loses consciousness.” The woman instructed. 

Makoto abided by the order and held him still, using her weight to support his, hoping to make his pain ease slightly.

 _‘Man, if only I was in the metaverse right now.’_ He thought as his vision began to grow black, his legs finally giving out from underneath him as he passed out, both of his arms falling limp. 

Makoto barely caught him before he hit the ground. “Ren!?” She whispered quietly, looking back up with wide eyes.

Finally, a few nurses and doctors burst through the doors, the doctors rushing to Makoto and Ren, taking him from her arms and rested him on the gurney, taking him back through the two swinging doors.

Makoto tried to follow, calling out in fear. “Ren!” She yelled, only to be stopped by a nurse. 

“You can’t go in there, not now… Please just wait, he’ll be okay.” The nurse attempted to comfort the now trembling teenage girl.

She shook in fear, “Let me see him! Please!” She yelled, tears welling in her eye as the woman continued to hold her back.

“You can’t, miss. I’m sorry.” The nurse repeated. 

Makoto sighed in both frustration and defeat as she turned and walked back to the waiting room, burying her face in her hands. _‘What did he do? Did he pick a fight? Is he staying in the Yakuza?’_ She gasped _‘What if this is because I made him leave?! What if they’re targeting him?!’_ Then the tears began to fall. _‘I am so sorry, Ren.’_ Her phone buzzed, it was her sister.

 **S:** Makoto! Where in the hell are you?

 **M:** I’m at the hospital. 

**S:** Why are you there? What happened? Are you okay?

 **M:** I’m okay, yes, but Ren… He was stabbed, he’s in the operating room right now.

 **S:** Ren? Ren Amamiya?

 **M:** Yes! Ren Amamiya! 

**S:** I’m heading there now.

Makoto raised a brow in confusion. Why did Sae know Ren? How did Sae know him?

 **M:** What? Why?

 **S:** Why are you friends with that boy? He’s a criminal, you know.

Makoto gulped, _‘Does she know of the Yakuza? No… It can’t be, she must be talking about his false assault case.'_

 **M:** He never assaulted anyone! Even the person who convicted him said he didn’t touch him! 

**S:** It doesn’t matter what he said, he still has an assault on his record and we don’t know if he was blackmailed. I’m almost there, I’ll talk to you soon.

Makoto sighed in frustration, running her hands through her hair. 

Sae finally arrived, walking in through the main door with her usual black suit jacket and black pants. She noticed Makoto and quickly rushed over, seeing some blood on her coat and her hands. “You’re not hurt, are you, Makoto?” She asked, kneeling down beside her.

She shook her head, sniffling as she tried to keep in more tears. “No. This isn’t my blood. It’s Ren’s.” 

“The delinquent,” Sae muttered.

“He’s _not!_ ” She yelled, standing up to face her sister who was now standing, looking down on her with a confused stare.

“Why do you say that?” Sae asked, her voice cold.

“He’s had it harder than all of us! You don’t know what he deals with and goes through every day!” She turned away from her older sister, fists clenched at her sides.

“This isn’t like you, Makoto,” Sae whispered, earning a snicker from Makoto.

“This isn’t what _you_ want me to be like!” She turned to look at Sae. “You want me to be like you! But I just wanted a _childhood!_ ” She yelled, 

Sae’s eyes widened and her mouth fell agape. She quickly recovered and blinked, looking at Makoto. “Ever since our father died you should’ve known that life won’t be easy.”

“Then give Ren a break! He lost _everything._ ” She growled. “His friends, his family, his home, everything!” 

Sae sighed in frustration. “Fine…” She said simply, sitting down, crossing one leg over the other as she held a knuckle to her chin in thought. Something that ran with the Niijima family _‘Why is she so upset? I understand that her ‘friend’ is in danger… But she’s never acted like this.’_

Makoto sighed and sat a few chairs away from Sae, her hands in her lap as she stared at the floor.

**5/15  
Midnight**

Finally, the doctors came out and looked out into the waiting room to see the distressed teenager and woman who was no older than thirty

He sighed and approached the teenager. “Ma’am. Your friend just woke up… But we may have a few questions for him, afterward.” 

Makoto perked up as she heard his voice and stood up, looking over to the doors behind him. “Take me to him.” 

The doctor nodded, gesturing for her to follow him.

Sae stood up after her sister, following the two as they walked through the doors and entered the room A13. 

The doctor opened the door and allowed the two to enter. Makoto being the first to enter as she turned past the curtain that blocked him from the door. She saw he was much cleaner but still bruised and swollen, and shirtless. _‘Oh no… The tattoos.’_ She remembered 

It was almost as if Ren read her mind and nodded sadly. “Hey, Mako.” He said, enjoying the ring to the newly found nickname. “Thank you for helping me… And man, I'm really glad to see you!” He said with a cheerful smile on his face.

Then Sae walked up behind Makoto, immediately taking notice to the tattoos. “Amamiya…” She said quietly.

“Sae Niijima.” He responded, his smile disappearing as he eyed her down.

Makoto looked confused, looking at Sae then Ren, “You two know each other?” 

Ren nodded. “Yeah. She’s the one who prosecuted me and sent me to Shibuya in the first place.” He said with a nasty bite in his tone.

Makoto turned, looking up at Sae. “You… _You’re_ the one who caused all of this hell for him!?” 

Sae sighed and nodded. “That’s over and done with. I have a bigger question to ask, Ren.” She said, pushing Makoto aside as she stood at the end of the bed. “What are those tattoos?” 

“The past.” He answered with a low growl. “They’re my grief, my self-hatred, my indulgences, my coping mechanism, my anger, my sorrow, they’re everything I hate about myself!” He began to yell, no matter how much it ached. “And they’re all _your_ fault!”

Sae was slightly taken back, but she kept her footing and continued to question. “How is it _my_ fault you joined the Yakuza?” 

Ren snapped. “Because _you_ were obsessed with winning. _You_ ignored the lack of evidence, _you_ took the paycheck, and _you_ ruined my life. And I didn’t join the Yakuza, it was either become a lapdog or die.” He muttered grimly.

Sae froze. _‘He knows about the bribes Shido used on all of the prosecutors?’_

“Yes. I know you took bribes. Every single SIU prosecutor did, all in order to provide false evidence.” He growled.

Makoto stopped and turned to Sae, fury in her eyes. “You took a bribe? In order to create and twist the evidence?!” 

Sae sighed and nodded. 

Makoto shook her head, “And you had the audacity to bring up Father.” She said quietly, looking down at her feet. 

Sae frowned, looking at her little sister and back at the boy who was laying down. “Ren Amamiya.” She said, her tone warming up.

“No. Leave!” Makoto cut in, her voice trembling. Ren raised an eyebrow, Makoto was angry again. 

Ren finally sighed to cut the lingering silence after Makoto’s small order. “It’s fine, Makoto. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been sent to prison because of her.” 

Sae still held her silence, looking back down at Makoto and back at Ren before asking “How did you know we were bribed?” 

Ren rolled his eyes. “Would you tell me if our roles were swapped? And no, it doesn’t have to do with the Yakuza.” 

Sae frowned and shook her head. “I see.” Which was followed by a longer and eerie silence, abruptly she broke the silence. “Mr. Amamiya, I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you.” 

Both Ren and Makoto looked at each other, exchanging the same look of confusion and surprise.

“P-Pardon?” Ren asked, looking back at Sae.

Sae grit her teeth, “I’m sorry. I abandoned justice… I wronged you.”

Makoto knew Ren wasn’t forgiving. She knew it all too well. 

_‘Looks like the change of heart really did work.’_ Ren shrugged and looked back at Makoto, then to her older sister. “It’s fine, I guess.” 

“Wait, what?” Makoto blurted out, covering her mouth directly after. 

Ren sighed, “My time in Shibuya has had many, many lows. But I’ve met a few people who truly do trust me and care for me, regardless of what I am.” He looked over at Makoto with a smile, turning back to Sae. “But if you don’t mind…” He paused, looking aside. “Could we keep this whole conversation a secret, Sae? I’m no longer affiliated with the Yakuza and I do not want to continue living and being related to them”

Sae nodded, looking back at Makoto. “Did you know he was in the Yakuza?” 

“Not until three days ago.” She responded

“Do you care that your friend was in the Yakuza?” She asked.

“Nope.” She shook her head

“Hmph. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Makoto.” She said, shaking her head slowly. “So, Ren. What made you suddenly quit this life of crime?” 

Ren’s face flushed a dark red as he gave Makoto a look. “Well uh… Your sister really helped out… She showed me the correct path.”

Sae noticed his fluster. “Okay, pause… My sister, Makoto Niijima, alone, made you leave the Yakuza?” 

He nodded.

Sae sighed. “I’m not going to question anything that happened between you two… Just you two be careful, especially after seeing what happened to you tonight.” 

He nodded again. “It _was_ me who started it. But that’s cause he was harassing some girl.”

Sae chuckled as she turned and began to walk out. “You never learn, Amamiya.” 

“Hey, Niijima!” Ren called out, waiting as Sae stopped and peeked around the curtain.

“Yes?”

“You won’t tell anyone about this, right?” Ren asked. 

“No one will hear a word… Think of it as a way of repaying you for what I’ve caused.” She said with a nod, then left. 

“Well, that went much better than I thought,” Ren said after a few seconds of silence that began after the door shut. He looked over at Makoto who was silent during the whole thing, clearly in thought as he saw her elbows were on her knees and her chin rested on both of her open palms, her fingers just slightly squishing her cheeks.

“I can’t believe her…” She muttered quietly.

“Huh?” 

“Sh-She took a bribe! All in order to put you in juvenile hall, then a year of probation, And then to put an assault charge in your record?!” She said, her voice rising.

“Makoto. It’s okay.” He said, attempting to calm her down as he sat up, letting out a quiet and muffled grunt in pain as he did so.

“No! It isn’t okay! Your life was ruined by her greed!” She said, standing up as she looked at him, her eyes filled with an anger he had never seen before in her.

“Makoto!” He said louder. “If I was never arrested I’d never have come here and met you! Do you want that?!” 

She stopped and sighed, shaking her head. “No. I don’t.” 

He eased, seeing how her tension had begun to slowly dissipate. “I like to think of it as she gave me a new start. Albeit, a shitty and very rough new start, but it still was one.” He sighed. “And I ruined that new start by joining the Yakuza… However, tonight I left it up to Iwai and it’s time I start over and I won’t mess up this time.” He said with a cheery grin.

“For being stabbed just three hours prior of now, you sure are optimistic.” She said, taking a seat down on the chair that was placed just beside the bed.

Silence fell over the two, Ren shutting his eyes with a small grin on his face as he repeated in his head, _‘A new start. A better life.’_ He thought to himself. _‘With her.’_

“Hey, Ren?” Makoto asked, her voice small and gentle, much different than earlier. 

“Yes?” He asked, opening his eyes and looking over, seeing as she had already taken off the dried bloody coat. 

“Mind if I stay the night here with you?” 

He grinned, putting a knuckle to his chin in a mocking fashion. “Mmmm… A kiss is all your getting.” He said, mocking her for the last time he asked that question.

“St~op!” She groaned out, putting on her adorable red pouty-face that Ren loved to see.

“I’m kidding. Of course, you can stay here.” He said, a cheerful grin finding its way across his face.

She smiled and looked over at him for a few seconds, staring and recognizing how handsome her boyfriend was, even when he was all cut up, bruised, and bandaged, he still was attractive. _‘Makoto! Stop having such weird thoughts! I’m pretty sure girlfriends don’t stare at their boyfriend and just think about how cute they are! Or do they? They probably do, right? No- No way!’_ She yelled at herself, gently reaching out and taking his hand, which prompted a small and teasing grin out of Ren. Makoto at least attempted to ignore it but her cheeks grew red as she looked back at him, a warm smile on her face.

The doctor soon returned, opening the door and stepping in with another man by his side, one in a suit. “Mr. Amamiya,” The suited man said, peeking around the curtain. “We have a few questions we’d like to ask you…” He said, a small frown on his face as he held the clipboard in his hands. “And ma’am, would you mind stepping out?” 

Makoto sighed and nodded, beginning to stand up until Ren grabbed her hand tighter. 

“No. She stays. That’s final.” Ren snapped back, “But go on. Ask away.”

Makoto sat back down, hiding her embarrassed face from the doctor.

“That’s alright. Mister Amamiya, may we ask what happened other than you were stabbed?” 

Ren rolled his eyes. “No. I’m fine now and I’ve gotten over everything that happened. Please leave me alone, I do not have the money for a lawsuit.” 

“But we have more questions Mister Amam-“ 

“Out,” Ren repeated, pointing to the door. “Your job is to keep me alive,” He said to the doctor, then turning to the suited man “And your job is not to interrogate me three hours after I’ve been stabbed.” 

The doctor nodded, turning around and walking towards the door “Very well.” He said as he turned and left. The suited man frowning and following shortly after.

“Well, that was easy to avoid.” Makoto murmured, looking back at Ren who was beginning to settle down, sliding his way down so he wasn’t sitting up.

“It’s the tattoos.” He said with a small sigh, looking over at his right arm, following it down to his forearm and to his hand, where their fingers were clasped and locked together. A smile spreading across his face as he remembered the warmth of her hand 

“Yeah… I suppose that is true.”

“You don’t think they’re ugly, do you?” He blurted out, which clearly caught Makoto off guard

“W-What?” She asked, looking at him with widened eyes.

“Do you think my tattoos are ugly?” He said with a frown on his face, looking aside, ashamed that he even bothered to ask her such a foolish question. ‘I know they’re ugly and I bet that is what she thinks, too.’ 

“I find them rather appealing quite actually.” She admitted, a smile spreading across her face. “Albeit, their relations to the Yakuza not so much, but they are beautifully designed.” 

His eyes widened, “Really? Y-You really think so?!” He asked, his voice growing excited. 

The excited look on Ren's face sent Makoto into even further thought about her boyfriend _‘Look at him, he looks like a little kid with how excited he got and his red cheeks! Adorable!’_ Her thoughts wandered as she simply nodded, the same large smile still on her face. “Even though you were bleeding all over me a few hours ago, you are _the_ most adorable boy I have ever met.” 

Before she realized it, the words already escaped her lips and her cheeks grew red as she covered her mouth, wide-eyed.

Ren felt his face burn a darker red, “Hey, Makoto. You can lay up here if you want, it may help you sleep…” 

She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “S-Sleep… Up there… B-Beside you?” She repeated.

Ren simply nodded, scooting over in the hospital bed, showing that there was clearly enough room for the two. 

She sighed softly and nodded, “F-Fine. But only because I uh… My leg hurts from kicking that guy so hard.” 

He couldn’t help but chuckle slightly, watching as she shyly climbed up and into the smaller bed, her small frame pressing against his. 

_‘Well shit, I didn’t plan this far ahead.’_ Ren thought.

 _‘Do that romantic thing that’s in all the movies, Ren! Wrap your arm around my shoulder so I can use you as a pillow!’_ Her inner desire yelled at her, a battle between her common logic and urges beginning once more in her conscious as she lied as stiff as a board. 

Ren sighed and decided to wing it. He did just as Makoto's urges wanted, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, which to his delight, she responded by nuzzling against him, her head resting on his bare shoulder as her stiff posture melted away. He noticed that she slowly began to drift off into a state of deep slumber. Knowing he was short to follow. 

_‘A new life starts tonight… A pretty crappy way to start, but now I think things will look up for me’_ Ren thought as he slowly faded into a deep sleep alongside the girl who had changed his life in just three days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! This is one very strange chapter where a lot happens but it also feels as if nothing happens at the same time. While I believe there is a bit of plot progression with the handing off of Ren, this chapter was sort of used to show off the new start to Ren's life, through the stabbing and 'killing' of Akira Kurusu.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, the encounter with Sae I added in shortly after the whole scenario, in hopes to show off more of the fact that Sae was corrupted beyond "just wanting to win" and more so to the fact that she would do ANYTHING to win. I also believe it shows off her change of heart, but that it also shows off her concern for Makoto's safety as she is still very suspicious of this 'Ren Amamiya' fellow.
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for reading!
> 
> ALSO, WOOO FOR 20,000 WORDS. I am one proud boi now.


	5. Chapter 5: The Joker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto has a devilish nightmare, a vulgar blondie stops by, and Makoto gets a little too curious with Ren's phone.

**5/15  
Witching Hour (3:00 AM)**

Makoto felt the warmth of her boyfriend against her throughout her deep slumber, curling up against him and subconsciously enjoying the protection she felt whenever she was near him. 

However, that comfort was brought to a stop as a loud and obnoxious, prolonged monotonous beep erupted from one of the hospital machines. 

Makoto’s eyes fluttered as she woke, quickly coming into the realization of what that annoying sound was. _‘That’s the sound when someone flatlines!’_ Her eyes widened and shot up to a sitting position, looking over to the heart rate monitor where she saw no small green mountains shooting up and down across the screen. It was a simple straight line, paired alongside what sounded like a siren by now. 

“Ren!?” She yelled, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently, seeing how his eyes remained shut and his body lied dead still. “Ren Amamiya!” She cried out once more, giving him another shake.

_‘No, this cannot be happening! He was okay! They saved him, right?’_ Her thoughts raced through her head, she quickly turned and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her feet finding the floor as she stood up and shot towards the door, bursting through it as she screamed. 

“Help! Please, someone, help!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, however, no one came. 

She sprinted through the seemingly endless hallway of doors, looking at each one which was labeled A13. “Someone! He is dying!” She screamed once more, “Help!” 

Yet, no one came. 

She burst out into the waiting room where she thought at least someone would be, but it was nothing but a completely empty white room. There wasn’t even any furniture. 

She screamed once more before completely blacking out and waking up in the hospital room in a cold sweat. 

She shot up and turned to see the heart rate monitor, noticing the small green mountains followed by stacattoed beeps. She took a deep breath in relief, but her curiosity and paranoia couldn’t stop her from reaching over to the boy by her side, gently pressing two fingers against the side of his neck to feel his pulse. 

Suddenly, the slow rhythmic and calm thumps picked up, their speed growing intense. She looked back up at Ren’s face, seeing his eyes were wide and filled with fear, she saw his hand shoot from his chest and lock around her wrist with a steel grip. 

Makoto cried out and flinched in fear at his rough grasp, feeling her wrist being crushed by his grip. “Ren, stop! It hurts!” She said as she tried to pull her hand from him. 

His eyes widened as he fully woke up, hearing her pleading and hurt voice. _‘Wait… Makoto?!’_ He gulped and released his grip. “I-I…” He stammered.

“What happened!?” She said, her voice trembling in fear as she held her wrist in her other hand.

“I-I don’t know!” He said, “I’m so sorry, Makoto!” 

She sighed softly and shook her head, clenching and opening her fist. “I don’t think anything was broken…” She muttered to herself, _‘What was he thinking!?’_

And almost as if Ren was reading her mind, he gave an answer. “I thought you were going to strangle me… I panicked when I woke up and felt a hand on my throat… I haven’t quite gotten used to sleeping next to someone!” 

She frowned and looked over at him. “I guess I know now not to do that in the future.”

He shook his head, “No… It’s my fault.” 

She looked aside and whimpered softly as she remembered her very real nightmare. She remembered it in great detail, as well. 

He heard the small whimper and sniffle, “I’m really sorry, Makoto. I never want to hurt you, ever.” 

She shook her head, “It’s not that. I just-” She couldn’t stop herself from getting choked up, the tears getting the best of her as she slowly spiraled into a sobbing mess. “I-I was h-h-having a nightmare a-a-and” She took a deep inhale, “y-you flatlined and I ran out screaming for help, but e-every single room was the same as this one, and that-that beep just kept g-going!” 

He looked aside, frowning as he heard about her nightmare. He reached his hand up, gently grabbing onto her shoulder and pulled her back down, allowing her to curl up against his body once more, feeling her nuzzle her face into his neck as she clung onto him with her arms around his torso. He could even feel the small hitches that constantly caught her breathing, alongside the wet tears that dribbled on his neck. He couldn’t do anything other than run a hand cautiously through her hair. “Makoto.” 

“Y-Yeah?” She said, lifting her head up from his neck as she wiped away her tears with her palm.

“I’m not dying.” He assured her, his hand gently caressing her cheek as he used a thumb to help her brush away a tear. “I can’t die, I’ve got way too much on the line for that to happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just care about you _too_ damn much to die. So, therefore, I refuse to die.”

She couldn’t help but smile as she escaped his hand and buried her face into his neck. Small sniffles coming from her every now and then. “You are so cheesy!”

“I try my hardest.” He said with a grin. “Now let’s get back to sleep.” 

She sighed and nodded, “Y-Yeah… I’ll try not to have any nightmares.”

He hummed, “If you do, just wake me up. Give me a little shake or something.” 

**5/15  
Morning**

Makoto woke up to the warm glow of sunlight that peeked through the window, she smiled slightly as she looked back up at Ren who was still sound asleep. “It’s not another dream.” She whispered to herself as she sat up and looked around the empty room. She mumbled as she adjusted her shirt.

Her ears perked up as she heard the door open and footsteps that were certainly in a rush. She let out a quiet squeak as she turned to see the vulgar blonde that was always with Ren. Ryuji Sakamoto. 

“Ren! I heard about what happened are you okay, man!?” He said as he turned the corner, seeing Makoto sitting next to a sleeping Ren. He could tell she just woke up by her half-squinted eyes and messy hair. “Niijima-senpai!?” He exclaimed.

“S-Sakamoto!?” She responded with the same shocked look on her face.

“What the hell are you doing here, Miss Prez?!” 

“I-I… Uh! Me and uhm.” She stammered, unable to find any words to form a coherent sentence to explain why she was there. 

All the ruckus had woken Ren up, his eyes fluttering open. He groaned as he sat up in pain, which earned a squeak from Makoto at the sudden shift of position. “Ryuji, is that you?” 

“Yeah! But what is the class president doing here?!” He asked, still looking for an answer.

“Hm? Oh, Makoto? Yeah, we’re dating.” He said as he rubbed his eyes, speaking in his casual aloof and nonchalant tone.

“Ren!?” She said, gently and playfully smacking his arm with the back of her hand, her face plunging a deeper red as she saw Ryuji’s face grow from concern into excitement. 

“ _FOOOOR REAAAAAALL!?_ ” He cried out, bursting into laughter. “Holy shit, dude!” 

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked over and saw Makoto bury her red face in her hands, her chin locked to her chest. 

“The class president- Dating the school delinquent!” Ryuji cried out once more, his laughter only growing stronger.

Makoto snapped, “He is NOT a delinquent!” She said, looking up with a primal fury in her eyes.

“Hey- I know he isn’t. It’s just something I like to poke fun at with him!” Ryuji said, raising his hands up as if he was being arrested. Shortly after he saw Makoto frown and relax, he muttered under his breath “Still as scary as ever.” 

“What was that?!” 

“Hey, guys let’s both settle down, yeah?” Ren finally broke the building tension. “So, what’s up Ryuji?” 

“Nothing much for me, I just rejoined the track team for this year!”

Ren grinned, “That’s nice to hear.” 

“How about you? How have you been the last few months, aside from getting stabbed ‘n stuff.” 

Makoto looked at Ren, who was clearly getting lost deep in thought. She nudged him to snap him out of his daze, seeing how he shook his head, she figured it was a success. “It’s been pretty boring, but a few days ago I think life really began to look up.” 

Makoto’s face, which was already beginning to settle down only grew as red as a tomato once more as Ren turned slightly and gave her a playful smirk. It was that smirk. And once more, her chin was pushed against her chest as she hid her embarrassment from the two boys.  
Ren rubbed his face in his hands. “Well, Ryuji, can you do me a favor and get my classwork from today?” 

“Yeah, sure thing!” He said, turning around as he began to walk out, calling out just before he left, “Check ya later, ya lovebirds!” 

Ren sighed and looked over at Makoto, “So… Do you have to go to classes today?”

Makoto shook her head. “You think I’m gonna leave you alone after I thought you died, twice, in only a few hours?” 

“Fair enough.” He said as laid back down, shutting his eyes. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a little nap.”

“Alright, get some sleep.” She said with a small grin, seeing as he dozed off.

“What time is it?” She murmured to herself as she could tell he was clearly asleep. She reached over and grabbed his phone out of his lap, turning it on. “Hrm. Passcode, obviously.”

She looked over at Ren, then back at his phone. “Let me guess… One-Two-Three-Four.” She typed in, the phone immediately unlocking. “Of course.” She held in a small giggle, in order not to wake him. She noticed how his phone had practically nothing on it, zero games, zero messages, with exception to hers, zero emails, there was nothing but the pre-installed apps and one very bright red eyeball app. “Huh?” 

Curiosity took over Makoto as she clicked on the red app, pulling up a map. “Is it a navigation app?” She pondered, looking back at Ren to see he was still asleep.

She scrolled through a few of the city blocks and saw a big button that simply said **‘Mementos’**

She clicked on it and suddenly she felt a brutal ache in her head. She put a hand up her head and let out a quiet groan of pain. She opened her eyes back up and looked about the room. “Nothing changed..?” She said to herself, turning back to face Ren.

However, what she did not see was Ren. She saw a black-haired boy, wearing a large three-tailed coat, a gray armored vest underneath, along with black combat pants and boots. He was also wearing bright red gloves and a mask that somewhat resembled a raccoon. “Wh-What!?” She cried out, quickly dropping the phone back into his lap.

The commotion caused Ren to stir awake once more, his eyes fluttered open, “What is it, Makoto?” He asked, attempting to rub his eyes but was stopped by a mask. “Oh no… No, no, no, no.” 

He looked down, seeing his usual Phantom Thief attire, looking back at Makoto who was staring at him with wide-eyes. _‘How am I going to explain this…’_

“Ren!? Is that you!?” She asked, looking around the room, seeing how nothing has changed. 

“Yeah… It’s me.”

“What happened to your clothes!? Why are you wearing a mask!?” She asked.

_‘I wish Morgana were here to explain this all’_

He sighed and shook his head. “Makoto, I may have left a few things out of my story.” 

“What!? You lied!?” She asked, anger rising in her voice.

He held out his hand which was able to calm her down just a bit.

“I’ll explain… And I’ll put it in the bluntest of fashions.” 

She crossed her arms, quickly climbing out of the bed and giving him the same intense stare that she always gave when she was upset. “You better!” 

“I’m a Phantom Thief- No, I’m the Phantom Thief.” 

Her eyes widened and her jaw fell agape.

“You’re currently in the place known as the metaverse, a place known as the public’s cognition.” And with that, he began to rant, explaining to her how palaces worked, what happened in Mementos, how he changed the hearts of the people who gained his popularity, also, he explained how personas worked and what they were, he never mentioned the velvet room, though. Probably for good reason since it'd take a few more hours to explain. 

“Okay! So! You’re a gang-leader and a phantom thief! Anything else you’re hiding from me!?” She yelled at him, grabbing the collar of his jacket as she shook him.

“That’s all, I swear it this time!” He cried out as he was shaken, receiving some pretty rough whiplash from it all. 

She stopped her shaking and released him, letting him fall back onto the bed. She rubbed her eyes and groaned. “So I’m assuming your story of how you joined the Yakuza was a lie, then?” 

He sighed and nodded. “I only joined to gain info on Kaneshiro, I went to him in the first place and was never dragged to him. However, everything that I said afterward was truth and nothing but the truth.”

She sighed, “Ren. You’re giving me some serious trust issues, you know that?” 

“I know I am, but you have everything there is to know about me! Everything and I swear on it!”

She sighed and looked aside. “Okay, I think I can comprehend this... “ 

“Makoto, listen to me.” He said, sitting back up as he got serious. “Never. Ever… _Ever_ use that app.” 

“What app?”

“The app that brought us here, it will appear on your phone since you’ve traveled here. So, whatever you do, do not use it.” 

“Why not?” She asked, popping her hip to the side as she rested a loose fist on it. 

“There are things here… That are vile and will do anything they can to kill you.” He paused. “Do not ever come back here, you understand that?” 

She sighed and looked away. “Enough cryptic crap, Ren. Just tell me what they are.”

“Do you need to see for yourself? Will that satisfy you?” He asked, turning as he stood up out of the bed, heading for the door. 

“Yeah. I find this whole story hard to believe, it just doesn’t make any sense.” 

“You haven’t even heard the most confusing part of it.” He muttered as he began walking, heading straight for the door. “C’mon. We’re going to Mementos.” 

She nodded and followed him, walking out of the hospital room alongside him, walking through the empty and desolate hospital. She gulped, seeing how it was just like her dream. 

“Come, there shouldn’t be any shadows here.” He said, his voice cold and stern as he reached behind him, grabbing her hand as he led her through the empty streets of Shibuya, heading straight for the train station.

He lead her down the stairs, and what she thought would’ve been the normal train-station turned into something of a nightmare. The trains were flying at incomprehensible speeds, there were no people in the slightest, everything looked destroyed and run down, the air was thick and heavy. She could even hear chains and screams off in the distance. Finally, she saw what would be called a shadow, a massive beast that looked as if it was made out of tar, she saw a few bones and skulls peering out of its torso and that it wore a skull mask on its head. She yelped in fear as she first laid eyes upon it, which warranted its attention. 

It began a full sprint towards her, Makoto screaming as she couldn’t even contain herself with what the hell was running at her. “What the hell is that thing!” 

“Arsene! Inferno!” She heard Ren scream, watching as a large red figure was summoned behind him, the massive floating humanoid wearing a top hat, a wicked mask, along with red clothing. It was so bizarre to her, she couldn’t even describe what it looked like. Her gaze returned back to the monster who lit up in flames and screaming a petrifying scream of pain as it burnt into nothing but ashes on the ground. 

_Silence…_

Makoto couldn’t contain all the information that she was bombarded with. She collapsed to her knees and her legs refused to work, she kept hearing that same shadow scream over and over, her head replaying the scene of its death.

Ren mumbled something under his breath and walked over to Makoto, hooking an arm underneath her knees. 

“W-What are you doing!” She jumped, unknowing that he had even approached her

He didn’t answer, instead, wrapping his other arm around her lower back and lifted her up, which prompted a squeak. “We’re leaving.” There was no further argument.

Finally, he carried her all the way back to the hospital before finally letting her down. He sighed and laid back down, grabbing his phone and pushed a few times on the screen and once more, the headache returned, however, it quickly dissipated and she looked over at Ren, his strange attire completely missing. 

“What… What was all of that!?” She asked, still completely shocked by everything that happened.

“That was mementos. Welcome to what I built my life upon."

“Those screams? Those nightmares!? You’re just fine with all of that!” She yelled, not even because she was angry. She was simply worried about his mental state. _‘A whole year with all of that!?’_

“I’ve foughten a literal god in there, Makoto. It’s become numb to me.” 

“You’re… You’re easily the most insane person I have ever met.” She mumbled, looking around the empty room and back at him. 

“Does this mean you’re going to leave me too?” He asked, his voice turning from its cold state to something much more melancholic and upset. 

She sighed and murmured. “It’s not like I even want to leave you, I’m just concerned for your mental health.”

“Why are you concerned?” 

“You’re eighteen damn years old and you’ve gone into what I could only describe as literal hell! Not to mention you were in the Yakuza as well!” She snapped, walking over to him as she climbed onto the bed, subconsciously straddling him as she pinned his shoulders down. “Eighteen years old, Ren!” 

Ren went wide-eyed as his face flushed a dark red, he didn’t even care that it hurt like hell when she climbed on top of him. He could only think _‘Is Makoto Niijima fucking straddling me right now!?’_

“Um… Makoto?”

“What!?” 

He gestured down to their position with a subtle nod. “U-Uhm.” 

She looked down, her face glowing red. She looked back at him and tried to play it off. “Y-Yeah!? What about it!? It's not like y-you're enjoying this! I'm upset at you, you know!?”

“Well. I was stabbed and it still really hurts but I said wouldn’t lie anymore so, I am very much enjoying this.” He said, a sly smirk spreading across his face.

_'WHY IS HE SO GOOD AT THIS?!’_ She screamed mentally, her face only turning into a horrible blushing red mess. 

She groaned and leaned forward, pressing the side of her face against his chest. “I hate you so much.” She mumbled.

“I know you do.” He said with a small chuckle, letting out a long yawn as he began to doze off. 

“Wait! No!” She said, sitting back up, pulling herself off of him and standing up, walking over to the chair and taking a seat. “I’m not allowing you off the hook for all this lying and deceiving! We're supposed to be honest with each other, are we not!?” She said, clear sadness in her voice. 

Ren sat in silence and looked down at his hands that rested in his lap. "I-I'm sorry." He frowned and looked away from her angry glare. "I guess I'll just go take my nap now since I'm sure you've had enough of me." He mumbled quietly as he shut his eyes. 

Makoto sighed and shook her head, “Enough of you is an _understatement_ ” She muttered to herself, pulling out her phone as she saw the new red eye app appear. Ren’s voice popping up into her head as she looked at him, _‘Never. Ever… Ever use that app’_

Which Makoto was just fine with. She didn’t want to see that hellish land again. 

She grumbled and couldn’t bear with the tremendous amounts of information she just processed and received. She stood up, grabbing her coat and walked towards the door, leaving the hospital room. _‘Can I really stay with him after all of this? Last night he snapped and attacked me, just like he did with Kishito! What if he ends up developing one of those palaces, or whatever they’re called! There could be no one who could stop him… What if he loses his mind?!’_ Tears welled in her eyes as she began walking out of the hospital, her steps were wobbly and she could barely maintain her balance. _‘I don’t think I can do this… I promised I’d never hurt him but…’_ She froze. _‘He never promised me…’_ She thought as she began her stride, heading back home just so she could finally settle down and enjoy some much needed alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading Chapter 5! 
> 
> I really don't have many words to say about this chapter, It's mostly being used as a filler and a setup for further progression between our favorite dynamic duo. 
> 
> Also, thanks to a good friend I made recently, Viro, for his suggestion of introducing Ryuji (and some other great suggestions that will come in the future ;))
> 
> I'm certainly hoping to make the other P-Thieves (who are technically not p-thieves) contribute more to the story and Ren's "rehabilitation" as he recovers from a very difficult two years at Shujin.


	6. Chapter 6: Rebuilding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren mistakes Makoto's absence for abandonment and decides to go for a leisurely stroll (It's not so leisurely) and runs into Makoto.

5/16  
Evening

Ren woke up, rolling onto his back and sitting up. 

He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to cleanse his hazy vision, humming, “Why didn’t you wake me up, Makoto?” 

_Silence…_

He blinked a few times, looking around the room. “Makoto?” He repeated.

_Silence…_

He saw that her coat was missing and his breath hitched. “No… Please, not again…” He whispered to himself. 

“Not again…” 

Memories of his parents began to appear in his mind.

_“Leave this house… Now.”_

_“I did not raise a criminal!”_

Then his friends and those he trusted 

_“Dude, stay away from me, I don’t know what you’re going to do.”_

_“Ren- I think we should stop being friends… It’s  
not your fault or anything! I just think we stopped getting along!”_

And then came their empty promises.

_“We love you, son.”_

_“You’re our biggest accomplishment in life.”_

_“Hey, bro! You’re my best friend, I’ll stick with you through thick and thin!”_

Then he heard Makoto’s voice. 

_“I won’t ever hurt you._ ” 

Tears formed in his eyes. _“SHE LEFT!”_ He wailed out, clenching a fist and slamming it against the bed where she was lying. “Just like everyone else…” He growled lowly, his voice becoming a mixture of anger and sadness.

He couldn’t stand being in this damn hospital bed any longer. He looked at his shoulder, seeing the vibrant colors and snapped his head away, looking at his other colored and decorated bicep and shoulder. 

He held in a scream of despair and loneliness and swung his legs out of bed, groaning in pain from the wound. He shook it off and hobbled around the blue curtain, finding his clothes neatly folded on a table.

He grabbed them with a trembling hand and slipped his jeans on, followed up by a pair of black socks, topped off with his white and bloodied t-shirt. 

He opened the door and simply left that room, stumbling through the hallway. Miraculously, no one noticed him disappear out the front door and into the cold night. 

He walked through the streets, the gentle breeze nipping at his skin, it stung. His heart felt crushed, it felt empty. He kept repeating her promise.

“I won’t ever hurt you…” 

“I won’t ever hurt you…” He continued to mutter as he wandered aimlessly through Shibuya, the streets empty and quiet.

Makoto had finally taken her time at home and she had taken some time to freshen herself up. She had gotten showered, brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, got changed into a pair of perfectly fitted jeans, grabbing a black turtleneck and slipping it on as she walked out of the apartment complex, and after a very long thinking session, she decided to head back.

She entered the elevator and hummed to herself, wondering on how Ren was doing. She mentally bashed herself for not leaving a note or a text, but she couldn’t even think straight at the time of her departure. 

Makoto snapped out of her daze as she reached the ground level, walking out and leaving the building and walking through the suburbs towards the seemingly empty town of Shibuya.

All of his walking had begun to give him a coughing fit, each cough warranting a whimper in pain, his hand pressing against his gut. 

He continued to repeat that line. 

“I won’t ever hurt you.” 

He wailed out as his legs gave out from underneath him. He fell to his knees, using his one arm to catch him, the other clinging hopelessly onto his side. He grit his teeth and coughed, groaning in agony. 

_‘Get up, Ren… Never show weakness…’_ He heard a voice similar to his in his head. He knew it perfectly well. It was the same cold and monotonous voice he’d use whenever he put on his Akira persona. 

Ren got up and continued his aimless wander.

Makoto sighed as she finally reached the square, the street completely dead and empty. She heard coughing in the distance but never thought much of it, so she continued to walk. 

She turned a corner and saw another person in the distance, limping her direction as he held onto his side. She watched him stumble and fall to his knees, hearing more coughing from him. 

It was only when he got up and began walking again, she could see the unkempt black hair and the bloody white shirt. _‘Is that Ren?’_ She asked herself, her slow walk beginning to pick up in pace. 

His vision went hazy as he stood back up, seeing a figure of a woman in the distance. He paid no attention though and continued his straight path, his limp growing worse with each step.

“I won’t ever hurt you…” He mumbled.

“Ren?!” She called out, standing only around 15 meters from him now.

His eyes widened, the haze suddenly disappearing from his sight as he could see the girl. 

“I won’t ever hurt you…” He whispered to himself before he turned around and took off in some sort of feral attempt at an escape. 

She saw him turn and run, reminding her of the same night when she first saw his tattoos. She quickly began to run after him, she was easily faster than him and she quickly gained on him, but she slowed as she watched his running motion. He ran as if he was mortified of something. He was running like a wounded animal, using his free hand to keep himself on his own two legs, trying to get as much distance as possible before the inevitable crumble. 

She continued to chase him until the inevitable happened. She watched the boy stumble and fall onto his hands and knees. 

Her heart ached as she heard the soft whimpers and sobbing that came from the boy. She saw his body spazzing out and twitching, his breath catching every time he inhaled. Then, she heard what he was repeating.

“I won’t ever hurt you!” He continued to repeat.

“I won’t ever hurt you!” Again.

She realized that was the same thing she told him at the diner. 

She wanted to reach out to help him but stopped herself. 

_‘What do I tell him?!’_

“I won’t ever hurt you!” Ren cried out, his hand forming into a tight fist.

“I won’t ever hurt you, Ren.” Makoto finally said out loud. 

Ren fell silent. He shuffled slightly but his sobbing continued.

_Silence…_

“Why did you leave me?” He asked, his voice seemingly morphing and transforming into something much more sinister and dark.

“I didn’t, Ren… I just needed time to think!” She attempted at explaining herself.

_“I JUST NEEDED SOMEONE I COULD TRUST!”_ He lashed out, his voice filled with violence in resentment.

Makoto flinched 

“Do you know…. how hard it is…” He said, swallowing in attempts to wetten his dried mouth. “For me to give my trust?!” 

“Ren…” She attempted to speak.

“I gave away everything… I even abandoned my only family!” He cried out.

“Ren!” She tried again

“Makoto… I’m so scared.” He said, finally settling down as his voice warmed up. “I’m so very scared of being hurt again.” 

Makoto realized this was the perfect time. She walked up to the boy, gently going down onto both of her knees, sitting on her heels as she put a hand on Ren’s back, another on her hand that was on the sidewalk. Words wouldn’t work here, only action.

“I know I’m difficult… I know I have breakdowns… I know I’m mentally deranged… But I’m _really_ trying, Makoto! I swear!” 

She gulped and nodded. “I know you are, Ren.” She gently rubbed his back, “I’m going to try my hardest as well…” 

He sniffled, “You won’t ever hurt me?” He asked, turning his head to look at her, his glasses nearly falling off of his face as he did so. 

Makoto nodded. “I won’t ever hurt you…” 

He returned the nod, looking back at the sidewalk.

“Come on, Ren… Let’s get you back to LeBlanc.” She said as she dipped lower, taking his arm around his shoulder, just as she did on the same night of his attack.

“O-Okay…” He mumbled as he looked aside, limping alongside her as the two walked to the train station. “Will you be able to stay with me?” 

“No.. I will not, but I will visit immediately after school.” 

“I see…” He responded blandly, the two boarding the train. They received a more than a few stares as they looked at the bruised and bloody boy, but a quick glare from Makoto directed their attention somewhere else. 

Finally, they arrived at Yongen-Jaya, the walk to LeBlanc being a very eerie and silent one. She walked him up to the door of the cafe and opened it. 

“Ah, What can I ge- What the hell happened here?” The man behind the bar asked, his eyes widening as he looked at the two. 

Makoto sighed, “Long story. I’ll get him upstairs and in bed, then I can explain if you want me to.” 

Sojiro simply nodded. Makoto was in the state where what Makoto said was simply taken as law and there would be no arguing back against it.

She helped Ren limp the last few meters before the staircase, being sure to support his weight with each step. Finally, she got him upstairs. She escorted him to his bed, sitting him at the end of it as she reached down, grabbing at the hem of his bloodied shirt and pulled it off of him.

He winced as the cold air hit his bare chest, however, he quickly and subconsciously attempted to cover up his shoulders and biceps, crossing his arms over his chest in order to hide the colors that stretches just beyond his shoulders and down towards his collarbone. 

Makoto frowned as she saw his defensive position. She gently took both of his wrists and removed his arms from his chest, dipping in and kissed his left and right collarbone, gently pecking The vibrant colors. “Those tattoos don’t alter my opinion on you, Ren.” 

Ren couldn’t help but grow a dark red, so he nodded and let out a quiet “T-Thank you.”

She grinned and pulled back, looking down at his pants, her fingers wrapping around the waistband of his pants. Her face burnt red, but she didn’t care, she needed to help Ren feel as comfortable as possible, and in her experience, jeans were not comfortable. “Here, lift your legs.” 

Ren straightened his legs out, gently shifting his weight so it was easier to slip off the jeans. 

She worked on getting the jeans down his legs, finally getting them all the way off. “Alright, I’m sure you can get under the covers on your own, right?”

Ren nodded.

“Good. I’ll go fetch some extra blankets for you.” 

Ren watched as Makoto disappeared down the stairs and heard a bit of talking, which sounded more so like her giving orders to everyone. 

He mumbled to himself as he scooted backward, lying down on his back with his head on the pillow as he pulled the thin sheet over him. 

It wasn’t long before Makoto returned, in her hands two fuzzy and folded blankets. She set them down on the table and took one, grabbing at the edges and began to cover each corner of the bed with a respective corner of the first blanket. She then took the other and kept it folded in half, folding it across his feet, easily accessible should he become cold. 

“Ren.” She said, walking over to the edge of the bed as she took a seat. “Make sure you get some good sleep and don’t move too much, you’ll reopen the wound and I’m sure the doctors wouldn’t be happy seeing you come back from your little disappearance.” 

He yawned sleepily and looked up at her. “Alright, Mama-koto.” 

“Ren?” She said, her voice terrifyingly gentle. 

“Yeah?” 

“Say that again and I break your nose.” She said, unable to suppress a small smile. 

Ren quickly shut up. 

“Good. Now get to bed, I’ll be sure to come by tomorrow after school. Okay?” 

He simply nodded, cuddling up with the blanket, pulling it up to his chin and burying half of his face in it. 

She giggled as she watched how child-like he was acting. It was adorable, especially for a phantom thief yakuza leader. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, standing up and walking downstairs.

The older barista, who she could only assume was Ren’s guardian, Sojiro Sakura, murmured something to himself before he spoke up to Makoto. “Hey, mind telling me why the kid looked like he had just escaped a war?” 

“Cause he got stabbed.” She said bluntly, waking up to the countertop and taking a seat in the high-chair. 

“Eh? He got stabbed!?” Sojiro exclaimed, almost sounding worried.

Makoto nodded. “I do not know exactly why but I got a call late at night and his speaking was frail and weak. As soon as I was about to hang up, I heard some older man scream, followed by Ren’s own scream.” She paused, shuddering slightly. “Then Ren screamed something like ‘get off of me,’, so I began to run and when I found him, there was some older man on top of him pummeling his face in.” She said with a sigh. “He ended up unconscious because of… reasons. And I helped escort Ren to a hospital and that’s about it.” 

Sojiro was still confused, “Why did he get stabbed?” 

She shrugged once more. “To my knowledge, he helped some person who was getting assaulted by the man.” 

The older man sighed and shook his head. “Always butts his head into other people’s problems.” 

She chuckled, thinking to herself. _‘You have no idea.’_

“So have you learned the boy’s little secret, yet?” Sojiro asked with a smirk across his face that was similar to Ren’s. 

“Eh?” Her eyes widened. “Wh-Which secret?” 

“That he has a huge crush on you, of course.” Sojiro said with a small chuckle.

“Well I’d hope so, we _are_ …” She choked up, the foreign word coming to her again. “...dating.” 

Sojiro frowned. “Damnit. He’s always a step ahead of me.” 

Makoto couldn’t help but giggle, she could certainly see that Ren had adapted a lot of Sojiro’s personality in his two years of staying. “I believe I should be heading out. Will you please take care of Ren until tomorrow evening?” 

Sojiro nodded. “Yeah, no worries.” 

“And please be sure to remind him that I’m not leaving.” She said, standing up and heading towards the door.

“Uhm… okay?” He said, rubbing the back of his neck as the chimes on the grandfather clock began to ring.

“A longer story.” She mumbled, walking out of LeBlanc and heading for the train station.

On her walk back, she couldn’t help but notice a few men who seemed to be tailing her ever since she had left LeBlanc, but she made sure to not let them know they were spotted. 

As the train stopped, instead of heading straight for her home, she took several detours, noticing that the two tails were no longer following her after her rather intense and adrenaline filled game of ring around the rosie. 

She sighed _‘This boy certainly has enemies.’_ She thought to herself as the image of Akira popped up in her head. She mumbled to herself and began to head home. She walked into the apartment building and went straight for the elevator, taking it up a few floors before it stopped. She quickly strode out into the hallway and went for her door.

Her hand reached the doorknob but she was quickly ripped away from the door as a pair of thick and muscular arms wrapped around her neck, a musky and callused hand holding a rag covering her mouth as she screamed. 

“Makoto Niijima.” The old man’s voice hummed against her ear, a devilish tone in his voice. 

Makoto had already begun to phase in and out of consciousness, the chemical on the rag finally overpowering her will of rebellion and she went limp in the man’s arms, being dragged off down the stairs and out of the back fire-exit, where a slick black car was waiting for her and the man. He dragged her into the back seat alongside him, the driver nodding towards him and raced off out of the alleyway. 

**5/17**  
**Evening**

Ren had been laying in bed all day, watching TV on his old piece of junk television that barely worked. However, as he glossed by the news, he heard something that made his heart wrench.

**_“Nineteen-year-old, Makoto Niijima, has been declared missing.”_**

He bit his lip, knowing what had to be done.

Joker or Akira had to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with this series! It's shocking to me to see so many lovely comments and to have gotten this many hits, it truly is amazing! 
> 
> Here's a good ole protect/heal styled chapter, as could be seen my Makoto going full mom-mode and having to deal with the blubbering mess that is Ren. Also, it is much shorter than the others as it was another sort of set-up chapter (also currently battling with some really rough writer's block) 
> 
> Also, today is gonna be a double chapter day so expect chapter 7 to come within the hour! (hopefully if all goes well)


	7. Chapter 7: Alibaba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren's secret watcher finally contacted him a day after Makoto's disappearance, Alibaba, someone who has been watching him since the Madarame case. 
> 
> A deal is struck between the two and Akira finds Makoto, thanks to the help of Alibaba.

**5/18  
Yongen-Jaya**

Ren woke up in the morning, rubbing his eyes as he thought of where Makoto could have been taken. He asked Iwai the night before if he saw anything, which Iwai had not.

He had a grim look on his face as he grabbed his phone, scrolling to the red-eyed navigation app. He opened it up, swiping to Mementos, the world shifting around him as he appeared in what looked like Leblanc.

He sighed and stood up out of bed, still painfully sore. He muttered underneath his breath. “Diarahan.” And just like that, a wave of light swirled around him and that pain was no longer. 

Joker mumbled something and returned out from the metaverse, still laying in bed. However, he was in a lot less pain.

_bzzt!_

He frowned and took a look at his phone, seeing a message appear on his screen from a person he had no knowledge.

**Alibaba:** So they went ahead and took her? 

**Ren:** Who is this?

**Alibaba:** You do not need to know who I am. Just know that I will simply help you save her, as long as you fill out a request for me after it is done.

**Ren:** I’ll do anything to get her back. 

**Alibaba:** I just need a simple answer. 

He raised a brow, _‘What the hell could they possibly want to be answered?’_

__

**Ren:** What’s the question? 

********

********

**Alibaba:** Who are you, Ren Amamiya? 

Ren hadn’t even known the answer himself. However, there was one thing this ‘Alibaba’ reminded him of. 

_Igor._

He clenched his teeth as he thought about the velvet room once more, looking back at his screen.

**Ren:** What is the answer that you’re looking for? 

**Alibaba:** Answer the question and I will help you.

**Ren:** How do I know I can trust that you can help me?

**Alibaba:** Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Futaba Sakura, Okumura, Shidou. Do any of these ring a bell? 

_‘She knew.’_ Ren thought.

**Ren:** So I can trust your abilities. But can I trust your word? 

**Alibaba:** Would giving you my real name be a form of handshake?

**Ren:** Very much so.

**Alibaba:** My name is Futaba Sakura. You changed my heart.

Ren hummed. _‘I was suspicious at first, but I certainly see now. It was no coincidence that after I helped Futaba that this ‘Oracle’ character had taken down Medjed.’_

**Ren:** Very well. What do you want to know about me?

**Alibaba:** The Dragon Oni.

**Ren:** What about ‘em?

**Alibaba:** You lead them shortly after Kaneshiro’s arrest. Or should I say Kurusu Akira lead them?

**Ren:** You’d be right about both of them.

**Alibaba:** Good. Now you don’t have to answer me right away, but I expect an answer I help you save her.

**Ren:** Fair enough. What’s the question?

**Alibaba:** Who are you? Are you Ren Amamiya, the sweet and kind barista of Cafe LeBlanc; Are you the Joker, the cunning and devious phantom thief; or are you Akira Kurusu, the frightening and ill-tempered leader of the Dragon Oni? 

**Ren:** I’m Ren Amamiya.

**Alibaba:** We shall see. 

Why was Futaba Sakura testing him? He couldn’t help but question himself. He clenched his teeth as his endless thoughts began to circulate. 

**Ren:** Will you help me? 

Alibaba: Yes… According to CCTV footage, Makoto was taken just outside of her apartment room. She was dragged through the back fire exit and the car’s license plate that took her was ‘FGR432’ 

**Ren:** Can you track it?

**Alibaba:** One step ahead of you.

**Alibaba:** The car is currently parked in Harajuku, at the abandoned parking lot.

**Ren:** I won’t forget this, thank you.

**Alibaba:** Just remember the question that lingers within you, Ren.

He stood up, walking to his wardrobe as he got changed into a pair of black jeans, slipping on a white turtleneck and a black blazer, grabbing the aviator sunglasses as he walked down the stairs. 

Sojiro saw the boy walk past him. “Hey- You shouldn’t be walking around.”

Ren gave him a fiery glare. “Makoto Niijima is missing… I _will_ find her.” 

Sojiro sighed and shook his head, watching as the boy stormed out of the cafe. 

Ren slipped on the sunglasses, pulling up his phone as he gave Iwai a call.

_“What is it, kid?”_

__

__

_“She’s missing, Iwai.”_

There was silence on the other end until Iwai finally spoke up.

_“How many do you need?”_

__

__

“Haito, Okisha, you, and I.” 

“Alright… When is it happening?”

“Right now… Let’s meet at Unbreakable.” 

_“Roger.”_

He hung up as he approached the train station, heading for central street.

Soon, Akira, Haito, Okisha, and Iwai all gathered and of course discussed where and what was to be done. Akira enforcing the policy that Makoto was top priority.

She woke up in a daze, looking around the dimly lit area. She could tell there were external light sources as she could see trees brushing in the wind.

As she spaced out, she was quickly brought back to reality with a rough slap to the face. 

A stout and older man stood in front of her now, rings decorating his entire left hand as he stood with a grimace, staring at her. “Do you understand how badly that kick hurt, you dumb bitch?” He asked, raising his palm.

Makoto couldn’t help it. “Enough to knock a man like you out.” 

Another brutal smack struck her across the face, cutting her lip slightly. While Makoto didn’t look like it, she was petrified. She knew what happened during these interrogations, she heard from Ren himself on how the Yakuza handles things. 

Her thoughts wandered from fear as she thought of Ren. 

“He’ll be coming, you know that right?” She said, looking up at the man.

“The boy? There’s no way he could possibly find you, you’re helpless.” He said with a smug grin.

“He has a way with finding the unfindable.” She said with a small chuckle.

The man’s hand curled into a fist and he took a long step forward, landing a blow to Makoto’s stomach which sent her lurching forward, attempting to catch her breath. “Don’t get smart with me, girl.” The man growled.

His phone began to ring.

He picked it up, “What is it?!” 

Makoto could hear screaming on the other side. 

“Sir, they’re here! I don’t know how but they’re here!”

“Who the hell is here?!” The man said as he turned to face Makoto, who was giving him a smug smirk.

“The Dragon Oni!” 

He clenched his teeth and shook his head. He raised a fist to Makoto. “You little b-“ 

Makoto couldn’t see what clearly happened to the stout man as she was clenching and bracing for the hit, but she did hear a very loud thud and a few grunts.

Her eyes fluttered open to see a boy on top of that man _‘Sheesh, Ren. You’re sure fast at saving the damsel in distress’_

Akira glared menacingly down at the man who he had held by the collar, “Do you know what you have done?!” He screamed in the man’s face. 

The man said nothing, only giving Akira a dirty glare. “What’ll you do, boy?” 

Akira was trembling in a rageful fit. He shook violently, he screamed and lifted a fist, smashing it straight into the man’s nose, clearly breaking it from the loud crunch that was heard. He screamed again and raised his other fist. 

Soon, Akira had begun his bombardment. He continued to slam his fists into the man’s face, blood covering the guy’s face.

Makoto could’ve stopped Akira. But she didn’t, she knew how badly he wanted to do this to that man, to return the favor.

The man was out cold, his eyes glazing back as he lied motionless on the cold cement. However, the punches kept flying. 

Winded, Akira finally settled down. He sighed in exhaustion and sat back. “I should kill you…” He muttered to the man, turning around and looking at Makoto who was simply staring at him.

Ren stood up in silence and walked over to Makoto, twirling a blade in his hands as he began to work on the rope that restrained her hands. 

As he got closer, he noticed her bruises and cuts she had received. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t arrive sooner.” 

She trembled as reality began to hit her, her adrenaline surge wearing off. The pain had begun to set in. As soon as she felt the rope fall off of her wrists she stood up and pulled Ren into a tight hug, pressing her head against his chest, tears welling in her eyes. “Thank you… Ren.” 

He returned the hug, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Soon, the Iwai, Haito, and Okisha had joined them.

“Are we done here?” Haito asked, looking over at the man on the ground. “Sheesh. Akira really lost it.” He muttered as he saw the man’s entire face was disfigured and covered in the thick red liquid. 

Ren nodded, not daring to break from the hug. “Yes. Thank you, guys.”

Iwai chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t mention it. Let’s go boys.” He said as he turned and began walking away. 

Ren looked over at the man on the ground and back down at Makoto who was still pressed against him. “Did you ever learn his name?” 

She shook her head, immediately placing it back against his chest. 

“Makoto, does it hurt?” He asked, breaking away from the hug as he held onto her shoulders.

She nodded.

“Here.” He said, looking around to see that no one was near. He quickly took out his phone, hitting the meta-nav and transporting them to Mementos. 

He saw his outfit and attire change to the Joker outfit once more, the dark black coat with the three tails and large collar, the mask, the vest, she still couldn’t get over it. Her boyfriend was Japan’s most wanted for a whole year before suddenly vanishing. 

“Stand still.” He ordered

She stood still.

“Diarahan.” He said, watching as she was coated in a swirl of light.

She felt eased, a cold feeling biting against her skin, but she could see the cuts on her body begin to shift and immediately return to normal. “Wh-What?” She asked curiously as the swirl disappeared and she stood there, only a few bruises showed on her face.

He sighed softly. “It’ll still feel sore and you’ll still feel a bit of pain back in the real world but it shouldn’t hurt nearly as bad.” He said, immediately going back to his phone and shifting them back into the real world. 

Makoto was still in a daze. Everything felt so fake for some reason. She was being held hostage so her boyfriend, who also was a yakuza leader, and a phantom thief, could save her and take her to a cognitive world where he used some sort of magic to heal her wounds. 

“Is this real?” She asked.

Ren raised an eyebrow but his face quickly softened and he nodded, slipping the sunglasses off and hung them off of his collar. “Yes, Makoto. Believe it or not, it is real.”

She shook her head, holding it her hand. “You’ve caused so much… chaos in my life…” 

“I’m sorry…” He muttered quietly.

“Don’t be. I still love you regardless.” 

Ren’s eyes widened as he looked at her, his mouth agape as he stared at her. “I-I love you too, Makoto.” He said, bringing her back into a tight hug. 

She sighed in relief as she finally accepted his warmth. “But if I have to deal with this again, we’re going to have some problems, Ren.” 

He nodded. “I understand.” He said, looking back at the exit of the garage. “Shall we head back to Leblanc?” 

She nodded. “That’d be nice.” 

So the two went, disappearing out of Harajuku as they went to the train station. 

**5/18  
Evening**

“So you’ve missed two days of school, huh?” He asked, looking over at Makoto who sat beside him now. 

She nodded. “But I’m sure that my excuses are well backed-up. I was on television, after all.” 

He smiled as he looked back down at his feet, _‘Who are you?’_ He asked himself, beginning to fall into deep thought. _‘Who am I? I’ve lived three separate lives but I don’t know which one is mine.’_

“Ren.” She said, giving him a side-glance.

“Hmm?” He asked, looking over towards her. 

She laid down on her side, resting her head in his lap. “I’m borrowing your lap for a bit. I’m exhausted.” 

He grinned and nodded, looking down at her as she rested in his lap. _‘If there is a god… Please give us some peace and quiet for a while.’_

He yawned sleepily, looking around as he was in no position to really lie down. He hummed as he looked down at her, noticing how she was already asleep. He slipped out from under her, gently moving her to the center of the bed, throwing a cover over her as she lied sound asleep. 

He grinned and sat down on the bed beside her legs, laying down on his side, looking at her before he yawned, humming lightly as he shut his eyes and began to doze off. _‘Please… If there is a god, let this peace last forever.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double Chapter Monday! Woooo! 
> 
> AND AGAIN- THANK YOU FOR READING THIS SERIES! 
> 
> Also HUGE thanks to it_be_angsty_Viro for the splendid idea on how to incorporate Futaba into the mix of this story! Be sure to go check their work out!
> 
> I really dug the idea of Futaba being introduced as some sort of psychological toyer with Ren, it really does leave a lot of space for me to play around with how her role will shift and manipulate over time! Then, of course, our good friend Akira makes one final return as he tries to make a final stand against his alternate ego, Ren Amamiya, however, I'm sure we can all see it is a losing battle for control over Ren's mind. Soon, Ren will only have to deal with one more problem. 
> 
> The Joker ;) 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading A Troubled Barista, this has been a wild ride and I haven't found any reason to cut it short soon, so thank you for the support, it really means the world to me!


	8. Chapter 8: An Empty Magazine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sae Niijima sets out to find her sister, the place she's brought to is Yongen-Jaya, Cafe Leblanc

Sae paced back in forth in the living room of their apartment. Her fists clenched against her sides as she mumbled to herself. She was mumbling results, where they might have taken her, but mostly, she always came to one name every single time. 

_Ren Amamiya_

She knew it was linked. Her sister's constant absence from home was always due to her being with the boy, but she only recently learned that everything began to go to hell for her baby sister when she involved herself with that criminal.

“Damnit, Makoto… Why don’t you ever listen to me?” She growled, walking out of the living room into a long and narrow hallway, heading towards Makoto’s room. 

She opened the door and was quite taken back at first, it had been years since she last entered here. She respected her sister’s privacy and never liked snooping around her room, but this time it was different, much more different. She looked around and saw the neatly organized room, a beautifully crafted wooden desk sitting across from her bed, bookshelves surrounding said desk. Both had three shelves and rose just a bit above the desktop, where two baskets lied, one on each side. The basket on the left had a small label saying **‘Incompleted’** and the other on the right was stacked high with papers, **‘Completed.’**

Sae sighed and looked up from the clean and orderly desktop at the calendar that hung on the wall above the desk. She sighed and turned to face Makoto’s bed, which was a queen sized mattress that rested on a wooden frame which contained two drawers on each end for Makoto to store clothes in. The bed was decorated with a bright neon blue sheet, coated with a dull and plain grey comforter on top, then folded neatly in half at the end of the bed was a fuzzy Buchimaru-kun blanket. Near the pillows of the bed, there were two stuffed animals, both of which were panda bears. One was much stiffer than the other, but she only realized it was to retain the position that the bear held. It stood in a position to the World Wildlife Fund’s logo, which Sae quickly deduced that Makoto had bought it during an event they held a year ago where all profits went to rebuilding bamboo forests for pandas. The other was older and much more flimsy. 

Sae knew it, it was the one that her father had gotten her for her fifth birthday. She remembered distinctly that the entire year following her father’s death, Makoto and that bear were inseparable. 

“Makoto…” Sae murmured, her hand going up to cover her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes. “I will find you…” She said, the Niijima determination beginning to kick in.

Sae grumbled and her brow furrowed as she wiped the newly formed tears of out her eyes and quickly paced to the calendar that hung up on the wall. She quickly flipped through the pages, finding May where she saw plenty of small bullet points attached with notes. Makoto always had a thing for keeping track of things she found significant.

_“5/11_

_\- Accidentally bumped into Ren at a small cafe in Yongen-Jaya! Turns out that’s where he lives and works._  
_-Got super scared by a storm and ended up cuddling against him (God,_  
how embarrassing!)  
\- Learned he had some strange tattoos (Will investigate further…)  
5/12 

_-Visited Ren who was hiding out in his little attic, he was staring off into space and looked like he was trying to scrape away his tattoos considering all of the scratch marks on his biceps, pectoral muscles, and a little bit on his shoulders. He even drew blood!_  
_-Ended up sort of asking Ren out on a date?_  
_-Ren snapped and I learned a lot about his past with the Yakuza, how he came to join, and the atrocities that the man Kaneshiro made him do. It even terrified me, I couldn’t help but think about the terrible guilt Ren feels._  
_-I ended up having to calm Ren down by giving him a kiss to the cheek, which was super difficult but I only was able to do it because he looked so afraid. Side Note: I guess that means we’re officially dating now?_  
5/13  
- _I got a little too curious and decided to go to the club that was run by the Dragon Oni, where apparently Ren was known as Akira Kurusu, I had to make sure he wasn’t lying to me and that he was indeed the leader._  
_-I ended up getting caught snooping around by some kid named Kishito, sooner or later, this Akira Kurusu guy shows up (who looked nothing like Ren at the time!)_  
_-Kishito ended up making what I could think was a huge mistake, because he kissed my cheek and grabbed my thigh, god it was horrible! But then Akira snapped, grabbed Kishito by the throat and dragged him out of the room where I heard a few screams. Then Akira came into the room and apologized to me, that’s when I confirmed that Ren was Akira. It seemed so bizarre, it’s like he had two completely different personalities! I also learned that he was the sort of boss that ruled from the shadows considering he was so anonymous about his rank towards Kishito until he, of course, ordered the lieutenants around._  
_-Then Kishito came back with one big guy who was wearing a gray trench coat and military cap with yellow shooting headphones. Kishito was apologetic but Ren certainly didn’t forgive. He slammed his head against a table and shattered the glass, but also broke the boy's nose! I really thought he was going to kill the kid so I screamed at him and then dragged him off where I yelled at him. And I learned that he certainly does have some sort of split-personality! It’s so strange… He was stammering, crying, he was terrified. I truly felt horrible but I was able to keep up my mean facade_  
_-We then met up at Leblanc that night in his room and I forced him to make a decision that it was me or the Yakuza. I guess he chose me!_  
5/14 & 5/15 

_-Went to classes and I simply couldn’t stop thinking about Ren. About Akira, about his whole story! He’s been carrying the weight of so many painful memories and lies, every day he hears rumors about him, it’s so heartbreaking to see such a sweet boy have to face such terrible conflicts._  
_-That same night, I got a call from Ren at around 10:30 PM or so, and I heard he was super weak and then there was some fighting. I came across the scene and it appeared he was stabbed! This. Kid. Cannot. Get. A. Break! It’s so awful!_  
_-I ended up taking him to a hospital where Sis came and questioned Ren, I learned through their small argument that she had twisted evidence and got paid to do so! (I CANNOT FORGIVE HER FOR THAT, EVEN IF REN DID! IT'S SO AWFUL)_  
_-I ended up sleeping next to Ren that night, all curled up against his side with my hand on his chest and his shoulder made for quite an exquisite pillow. I felt so safe beside him, yet it’s a strange feeling knowing your boyfriend is a Yakuza member and you feel safe against him._  
_-I am so angry with him now. He was this proclaimed Phantom Thief from a year ago! He told me joined the Yakuza to gain information on Kaneshiro then everything went to hell after his ‘change of heart’. Then, I traveled to this place cause of an app on his phone and then his clothing changed, he was wearing a big three-tailed coat along with a gray utility vest, he held a dagger across his breast and a gun was holstered on his right hip. He then took me to some crazy place called Mementos which was where the subway should’ve been, it wasn’t the subway though, it was a nightmare! I did my best to sketch out what I could see but it isn’t very well_  
_(insert drawing of a Mementos shadow and the first level of mementos)_  
_I saw this beast (in the picture above) and I couldn’t believe it, I freaked out and caught its attention, it sprinted directly at me and then out of nowhere some giant red figure erupted from thin air behind Ren and he screamed something, then the monster that was about to attack me burnt to ash in less than a second! The scream was horrifying! And here I am now, writing about all of this. I’m still worried about Ren, he is seriously mentally scarred. I hope I can help him.”_

Then the notes disappeared, nothing was after. Sae bubbled furiously as she read through it all. “Ren fucking Amamiya happens to be the renowned Akira Kurusu and a fucking phantom thief?!” She trembled in anger. 

“I am having a few words with that boy… Maybe he knows where my god damn baby sister is. I bet he’s the one who kidnapped her. He’s probably holding her hostage somewhere, doing vile things to her. Dammit, I should’ve been more cautious!” She groaned, turning and running directly out of Makoto’s room and for the front door. She burst through the door, slamming it shut behind her as she raced down the stairs to the garage level, running for her car. 

She unlocked it and stepped in, putting the keys in the ignition and raced out of the parking garage. 

Sae mumbled to herself, “I am going to kill that boy, I swear to god.” She muttered, flying down the highway towards Yongen-Jaya.

Ren woke up and rubbed his eyes, looking at the still sleeping and bruised Makoto with a small coy smile. 

He hummed as he sat up, looking around the room to see Morgana was still asleep on the couch. _‘Thank god he doesn’t nag me about her, I’d expect him to be such a hardass about it.’_ He thought as he turned back to face the sleeping beauty in his excuse of a bed. 

He grinned and reached down to the end of the bed by her feet, grabbing a soft and fuzzy blanket, pulling it up to Makoto’s shoulders. He didn’t even know if she’d feel it since she was still mostly clothed, wearing a white turtleneck with a crimson and black skirt, paired by black leggings. It looked exactly like her Shujin uniform, with exceptions to the black halter vest that she typically wore.

He sighed softly and stretched his shoulders, tilting his neck left and right, loud pops being heard as he did so. 

Ren decided to head downstairs for a few, walking down the steps to go ahead and make himself a cup of coffee. He hummed lightly to himself as he looked around the empty shop. It was clearly late in the evening, somewhere around eleven-thirty P.M, he could tell by the faint outlines of hands on the grandfather clock.

He noticed headlights screech to a stop outside of the shop, his head perked up but he quickly ducked behind the counter. He watched a figure step out from the car and he continued to linger from behind the countertop.

Finally, the door opened with a small bell going off as the figure in all black entered. He waited for the shadow to head towards the stairs, waiting until they had come near the opening from the counter. As soon as it passed by him, he pounced, rushing forward and grabbing the figures slim wrist, the other on their throat. 

“I will not allow you to hurt her!” He screamed violently.

He then heard a woman choke. “R-Ren!” She hissed. 

He jumped as he noticed the formal attire, the steel grey hair, the crimson eyes. “Sae?!” He yelped as he released her. “What the hell are you doing here?” He asked as he reached behind him, his hand grazing against the wall behind him until he found a light switch, flicking it on to give each other vision of one another.

She growled and cracked her neck, recovering her breath from the random assault. “Where is Makoto!” She screamed in response, grabbing Ren’s throat and pinning him against the wall.

He coughed and sputtered his eyes going wide. “W-What?!” He asked.

She screamed again, inching closer to his face as she held him by his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter “Where the hell is my baby sister!?” 

His eyes began to roll back, he couldn’t think straight, his body began to fall limp as he clung onto her wrist, attempting to remove her steel grip from him.

“Sis?” Came an innocent voice from the staircase.

“Makoto!” Sae exclaimed, releasing the boy as she turned and ran towards the voice that came from the staircase, running upstairs to see her baby sister standing there with a tired expression on her face. She noticed the bruises on her neck and the purple bruise on her cheek. Her eye widened and turned into a hate-filled squint. “That little bastard.” She muttered, turning around and immediately going back down to Ren who was recovering, beginning to slowly stand up as he attempted to stand from his hands and knees.

Sae approached him, her leg raising and swinging, hitting him across the face. “What did you do to her!?” She screamed, watching the boy fly back onto his back. 

“It was-“ He attempted to explain, only getting another kick to his stomach as Sae stood above him. 

“You’re a fucking monster!” Sae screamed out. Her face was filled with primal fury. 

The commotion caused Makoto to run down the creaky and broken stairs, “Sae, stop!” She screamed as she watched Sae land multiple blows to Ren’s chest cavity, her heel digging into his ribs with each curb stomp. 

Sae stopped and turned to her sister. “What did he do to you!?” She cried out, pulling her sister into a tight hug, pulling back and holding her face in her hands.

“He saved me!” Makoto screamed in return, shoving her sister away from her.

Sae’s eyes widened. “S-Saved you?” 

“Yes! Just before I got back home last night, I was grabbed then I don’t remember much…” She paused, “But I remember waking up in a car, only to get knocked out again, this time without chemicals…” She mumbled. 

Sae froze. _‘Ren didn’t kidnap her?’_ She just beat a teen half to death for a crime he didn't commit, no, a crime he stopped.

Makoto continued. “Then I woke up in the morning in an abandoned parking lot. Ren had called some of his friends and they came back and saved me. I learned shortly after that the same guy who caught me was the same guy Ren got stabbed by…” She sighed, shaking her head. “He’s been after us for some reason.”

During the Makoto’s entire explanation, Ren struggled to catch a single breath, dry heaving painfully as he could tell a few of his ribs were cracked, if not shattered. He sat up, continuing his dry heaving. He couldn’t get an ounce of oxygen in his lungs. His hand tightened into a fist against his chest. 

The world began to slow around him, soon pulling to a complete stop. He turned towards the door of LeBlanc and saw a glowing blue aura. He noticed it begin to develop a pattern of a figure in a triple-tailed coat, wearing a pointed mask with unkempt hair. It was Joker.

Suddenly, a burst of blue flames erupted from the aura and out stepped the phantom thief, his eyes glowing a bright golden, which quickly flashed to red and back to golden. It spoke in his dark and sinister tone.

_“A monster, Ren.”_

_“I’m not the monster, nor is Akira the monster.”_

_“You are the monster, Ren Amamiya.”_

“I’m the monster?” He muttered quietly to himself.

Shadow Joker nodded, _“You’re the monster and you know how to dispose of monsters.”_ The Joker said with a smirk, grabbing a pistol, setting it on the ground and kicked it over to Ren. 

Ren held the pistol in both of his hands. He took a deep breath. 

_“You know what to do, Ren Amamiya. Ren Amamiya, the Monster needs to be disposed of”_ The Shadow Joker said before disappearing, time resuming.

He looked over with foggy vision, even though Makoto and Sae were arguing in the same room as him, they sounded like they were at the end of a tunnel. ‘A monster.’ 

He raised the pistol, putting the cold and solid barrel against his temple. His breath trembled and caught itself. 

He gulped.

He looked over at Makoto and Sae with a hazy vision.

He wrapped his finger around the trigger and heard Kaneshiro’s voice. _‘Face your fears… Pull the trigger.’_

Iwai’s voice appeared in his head next, _'You have to do what you have to do, it’s how the world works, kid.'_

Then he heard Ryuji’s voice, _'I’d do anything to get rid of monsters like Kamoshida!'_

Then Sae Niijima’s voice, _'You’re a fucking monster!'_

His thumb pulled the hammer back of the pistol, gulping once more as he did so. He clenched his eyes and pulled the trigger.

_Click!_

It was empty…

Sae and Makoto stopped arguing, they both knew well enough what that sound was. They slowly turned to face Ren who sat on his knees, staring off into the distance with the gun to his head. 

He pulled the trigger again.

_Click!_

He screamed and pulled again.

_Click!_

Sae’s eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold before her. “W-What is he doing? Where did he get a gun?” 

Makoto didn’t say a word as she rushed to Ren, sliding down onto her knees, clinging on to him from the side. wrapping her arms around his torso.

Tears welled in his eyes and began to fall uncontrollably. He sobbed and wept, tears flowing like waterfalls out of his eyes. His entire body twitched as he kept the gun to his temple.

“Ren?!” She cried out, “What are you doing?!” 

He wailed out once more, another loud shout erupting from his throat. “I’m a monster, Makoto!”

_Click! Click! Click! Click!_

He continued to pull the trigger, holding it to his temple, more tears falling and soaking into his cheeks, some falling and landing on his knees. 

She sighed and looked back at Sae who stood still, completely shocked. 

Sae recognized the look in Makoto’s eyes. She saw that same look of loss, despair, horror, sadness. The same look that she had the night they lost their father, “What did you do to him..?” She muttered quietly.

“W-What?” Sae asked, grabbing onto the wall as she felt like she was about to pass out _‘What the hell does she mean..?’_

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?” Makoto screamed, turning back around, grabbing the pistol at Ren’s temple, prying it out of his white-knuckled grip, tossing it away.

“I-I… I don’t know what you mean!” Sae asked again. 

“He’s already broken! I’m all he has and you continue to try and take me from him! You make him think he hurts me, you make him think I loathe him, you make him think that he’s a monster!” She screamed, pressing herself against him once more, wrapping her arms around his waist as she pressed her face against his shoulder.

The tears continued to fall from Ren’s eyes. He shuddered and shook, he continued to pull the trigger of the imaginary gun that was pressed to his head. “I’m a monster!” He screamed again, pulling an imaginary trigger.

Sae froze in horror, watching as the two teenagers both broke down. “I-I don’t understand… Makoto.”

“Of course you don’t, Sis,” Makoto said softly into Ren’s shoulder. She turned her head, keeping her arms locked around the boy. “Sae… Go back home. Grab all my class work from the past two days I missed, and tomorrow’s while you’re at it… Your presence is making this harder for him.” 

Sae gulped and nodded. “R-Right, Makoto… I’m so sorry that all of this happened. It’s my fault- I thought he kidnapped you…” She sighed, giving up on attempting to explain herself. “I’m such a poor sister…” She muttered before quickly walking past the two who lied crumpled on the ground. She exited the cafe and entered her car, taking a moment before starting it and driving off. _‘I really screwed up…’_ She thought to herself.

“Ren?” Makoto asked, looking at Ren, who was still completely out if it, his hand still holding on to that imaginary pistol. 

“I’m the true monster…” He muttered.

“Ren. You’re not.” She knew he probably didn’t even hear her, but she attempted, nonetheless.

“I am… the monster.” He repeated.

Makoto couldn’t bear seeing her boyfriend in this state. Her heart crushed as she thought he’d never return to normal. She remembered the last time he spaced out like this. 

“I won’t ever hurt you, Ren.” She whispered in his ear as she swiveled around him, kneeling in front of him now.

She gently took his face in her hands, her soft but calloused hands cupping each side of his head.

“You’re not a monster.” A kiss on the forehead.

“You’ve never been a monster.” A kiss on the cheek.

“You’ll never be a monster.” A kiss on the other cheek.

“You’ll never be a monster, Ren.” She said, finally, placing a kiss on his lips.

Each kiss, just like last time he had built his barriers, had crumpled. Each wall of corruption.

**Self-Hatred:** _Shattered._

**Self-Doubt:** _Shattered._

**Self-Consciousness:** _Shattered._

**The Shadow Joker:** _Shattered._

He froze at the final kiss, blinking a few times as he looked back up at her.

“Ren?” She asked, her voice small and filled with dread.

He was silent as he simply sat and stared at her, instead of being lost in thought, he was lost in pure awe. He just began to wrap his head around the lengths Makoto would go for his safety. He smiled at the thought of it. 

“Ren?” She asked again.

“Yes?” He replied, blinking a few times. 

“What happened?!”

“I think my ribs are cracked…” He croaked out, his voice already giving out. His eyes were still bright red and puffy, tear stains covering his cheeks as he looked around the cafe with that smile. 

Makoto sighed and shook her head. “Not what I meant! I meant mentally! Where’d you even get a gun!?” 

He frowned and looked back down at her. “I don’t think you want to know.” 

She mirrored his frown. “Tell me.” She said, her brows arching into angry curves, her eyes matching the same terrifying squint. 

“I will… After I make sure I won’t cough up all of the blood in my body.” 

Makoto looked aside, “Sorry about my Sis.” 

Ren couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “She _is_ a great sister.”

Makoto shook her head and smiled, tears beginning to fall from her eyes as she stared at his knees, her tears landing where his same droplets did.

“Makoto?”

“You almost killed yourself, Ren!” She cried out. “I was so scared you were going to die!” 

Ren didn’t have a reaction, so he held his tongue and remained silent. 

“I’m staying here with you all of tomorrow and tonight… I can’t leave you alone in this state.” 

He smiled and rubbed his eyes. “Thank you, but for real, can we go to the clinic across the street?” 

Makoto nodded, helping him up to his feet as she walked towards the clinic, following his guidance. 

As the two entered, the woman behind the desk raised an eyebrow. “Guinea pig!?” 

He gave her a shy wave. 

“What the hell happened to you?” 

“Her sister,” Ren said, gesturing to Makoto with his head. 

No further questions were asked and the examination went through without any drastic results. Makoto stood at the door with her hands clasped to each other as she waited outside of the room.

“So you have two cracked ribs. However, that’s about all you suffered. A few bruised ribs as well.” Tae said, marking a few checkboxes on her clipboard. She grabbed a bottle of pills, “These should help the pain. Stay in bed for three days and you should be able to walk again, but don’t push it.” 

Ren nodded and with the help of the doc, stood up. He reached over and grabbed his t-shirt from the coat rack, slipping it on. “Thank you, Ms. Takemi.” 

And with that, the two left the back-alley clinic. Makoto once again, using her weight to help him make it back to LeBlanc.

They entered the building and Ren simply sighed, beginning to limp towards the stairs. He slipped up them, Makoto leading the way as she held tightly onto his hand. 

Makoto guided him to the bed and sat him down. “How many times am I going to undress you in a single week?” She muttered, her face going pink as she helped slip the white shirt off of him. 

She then gestured her head to his jeans. “You know the drill.” Her words had some sort of seductive meaning behind them to them, which took Ren by surprise, which she obviously didn’t intend on doing.

She turned around and walked over to the shelf across the room, grabbing the box on the bottom row and pulled out a pair of black pajamas. She returned back to Ren, whose face was a dark red she had never seen before. 

She attempted to ignore it as she helped him slip the pajamas up his legs. “Alright!” She said with a grin of accomplishment. “Operation get Ren ready for bed was a success.” 

His face was still a dark red, his eyes wide as he looked at her. 

She raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“N-Nothing!” He snapped out of his daze, crawling towards the center of the bed, pulling the covers over him. 

“Hmph… Alright.” She said, looking back down at the box. “Would you be generous enough to lend me clothes for tonight?” 

He nodded, turning towards the wall. 

“Seems I don’t need to tell you to not look.” She said, grabbing a loose black shirt and black pajamas that seemed to match his. She first worked on her turtleneck, untucking it and pulling it over her head, hastily putting the black shirt on, her face growing a darker red as she continued to strip down. _‘I’m in Ren’s room alone… Stripping… Makoto a week and a half ago would’ve never imagined something like this happening.’_

Next, she worked on her leggings and skirt, pulling them both down in one smooth motion, kicking them off her feet as she quickly pulled up the pants, slipping them up far beyond her waist so she didn’t step on the pant-legs. She grabbed the laces at the waistband and tied them as tight as possible. “Alright!” 

Ren turned back around to face her, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at her. The shirt was loose on her, the hem falling below her waist, almost going down to her knees. She looked so small in comparison to the large shirt that she was wearing, it was absolutely a sight to die for.

He could notice that she had pulled up the pajamas far up her stomach, even though they were loose, the pajamas couldn’t hide her elegant feature. Sure she wasn’t some curvaceous super-model, but she was Ren’s vision of perfection. 

She slipped the french headband off of her head, using her hands to shake her hair out, her messy hair only adding to Ren’s long list of things he loved about his girlfriend.

She walked over to the bed and rested in bed, resting on her side as she slid back into him, immediately earning herself the position of the little spoon. She blushed furiously, but the feeling of his arms wrapping around her immediately gave her the sweet feeling of sanctuary. 

Her dreamy state of protection was cast away as she felt something rough prod against her lower back, which made her squeak. “Eeep! Ren? What was that?”

“U-Uhm about that…” 

Her face flushed an even darker red and her eyes widened. _‘Quick, think! What would Ren do!?’_ She thought, she knew he was too good at teasing her and it was a perfect chance to get back at him, besides, the two could really do with some positive fun in their lives. 

She put on a playful smirk as she turned her head to give him a view of said smirk, she arched her back and pressed her buttocks against his lap, which earned a quiet squeak from Ren.

_‘I can’t believe I did that! I made the Ren Amamiya squeak! Incredible- Incredibly embarrassing for both of us!’_ Her inner self squealed as she hid her face away from him, covering it with her hands as she muffled a small giggle of glee. 

That was one hell of an accomplishment to her. She successfully teased the master of teasing. 

She grew to love the very close and personal embrace, loving how they’re bodies fit with each other as perfect as a jigsaw puzzle, she completely forgot about Ren’s situation as she snuggled closer against him.

Finally, Makoto fell asleep, her face still a burning red, but nonetheless, there was a delighted smile on her face.

Ren, on the other hand, had a much… _ahem_ … **‘harder’** time sleeping that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not feel bad about that pun in the slightest. Fight me! 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for reading chapter 8 and whew, this chapter was pretty damn angsty. Ren, of course, got beat up AGAIN, but in all fairness, Sae was a liiiittle mad.
> 
> But, I really was considering whether that pistol should or shouldn't have any ammunition, and was seriously considering the worst possible end for Ren (I must admit, I've been reading a lot of Berserk.) But I had some more I wanted to do with this story, and now that Shadow Joker has been eliminated, just as Akira Kurusu was. That leaves us with an answer to Alibaba's mysterious question
> 
> "Who are you?" 
> 
> Well, he's Ren Amamiya! The cutest, roughest, and toughest barista in all of Japan! (Also the most mentally deranged.) 
> 
> Now that we've progressed through the roughest patch of Ren's life, I believe that it is time to give my favorite couple a break, so expect some fluff y'all! 
> 
> Thank you again for reading The Troubled Barista, and thank you for sticking with this story <3 You all mean the world to me.


	9. Chapter 9: Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Makoto share a rather passionate and lovely morning as the two expand their horizons, Makoto finally getting the upper hand in the teasing game.

**5/19**  
**Early Morning**

The warm glow of orange and yellow barely peered through the open window, the curtains gently blowing with the cool morning breeze that crept through the open window. Birds chirped at the rising of the pink and orange sky, that orange tint slowly turning into a blue as the morning passed on. 

It was peaceful.

Makoto’s eyes fluttered open, she blinked a few times as she shuffled slightly. She yawned loudly, letting out a short and quiet groan afterward. Her head never left the pillow as her hands rubbed her face, getting some of the sleepies out of her the edges of her eyes. She had completely forgotten that she had slept in the same bed as Ren until she felt a hot breath on her ear with a hushed and deep whisper which broke the peaceful silence.

“Good morning, Makoto.” He said in a tired voice.

Her eyes widened and she squeaked, “Eep!” 

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched his adorable, flustered, beau shoot into a sitting position, subconsciously covering herself with the fuzzy blanket. 

She finally settled down as she remembered what had happened last night, it brought a frown to her face, images of seeing Ren with a gun to his head already sending shivers through her spine, the chill was made even worse at the thought that it was his own hand that held that gun. “Ren..?” She asked, looking over at her sleepy boyfriend who was now resting on his back, his hands behind his head. 

He hummed, tilting his head towards her as his eyelids drooped over the pools of gray, he was still exhausted.

“Wh-what happened last night?” She asked, her frown growing even larger as she slowly began to ease back down onto the bed, resting on her side as she faced the boy. 

He fell silent, his eyes losing their sleepy appearance, instead, they widened. He turned his head to face her, a frown growing on his face as well. “It… It’s nothing.” 

Her brow furrowed. “Ren… Tell me.” She propped her arm up, her elbow bent where her head was supported by her hand. 

“As I said, Makoto, It’s really nothing. I promise.” He said, turning his head back to look at the ceiling, in a weak attempt to avoid her cold glare.

“That wasn’t a request, Ren.” She hissed. “Tell me… This instant” 

“Makoto, it isn’t a pr-”

“Goddamnit, Ren!” She said, shooting back up into a sitting position, smacking the bed with an open palm, firmly planting her hand on the comforter they rested on. “You almost shot yourself! Now tell me what the hell happened!”

Ren fell silent. He gulped and looked away from the ceiling, turning and looking at her. “Fine.” He finally huffed out. 

Ren grunted as he sat up, holding the steely gaze with her, their eyes locking and never separating as he began to spoke. 

“The metaverse is a bizarre place. You already know that when a person’s desire becomes strong enough it forms to a palace… Beyond that, if it grows stronger, it distorts and merges with reality itself.” He paused, breaking the eye contact for a short second as he looked away. 

“Good morning, Joker!” Called out a small voice. 

“Apologies- Morgana, buddy. Can you give me some time? I need to explain some things.” 

Morgana grumbled as his front legs extended in front of him, his shoulders stooping low as his hind legs extended, stretching his back before he hopped off of the couch. “Fine by me, just don’t do anything stupid.”

Makoto couldn’t help but shake her head as the two began to converse. _‘My boyfriend is also a cat whisperer… I’ll add that to the list of things he is.’_

“Anyways… Let me say, my desire was… rather strong, to say the least...:” He paused again, locking eyes with her once more. “So, there was a period of time where things merged and I saw my other self, the metaverse guy, and he was my shadow. He slid me his pistol and told me what I needed to do.”

“Kill yourself…” She said quietly.

“Yes. Put an end to the monster that is Ren Amamiya.” He nodded, looking down with a sad expression covering his face. “I heard Kaneshiro, Ryuji, and then your sister.” Which he could clearly tell was not the right thing to say after he saw her face sulk in anger, her fists clenching, pulling the blanket into their vise-like grip. “But needless to say, I probably have a palace.” He said with a shy chuckle.

“How do you… change your own heart?” 

“You can’t.” He responded flatly. 

“Can I help in any way!?”

“You can’t.” He repeated.

Makoto shook her head, the Niijima determination kicking in. “No, that’s bullshit.” 

Ren cocked an eyebrow as he looked over at her.

“I’m going to help you, Ren.” She said, the determination in her voice already making Ren shudder. 

Ren was in no mood to argue, which was very unusual of him. He usually was one to fight for his way but this time around, he knew Makoto would win that argument. “I suppose I can’t stop you, but can we please stop talking about this? I want to enjoy this beautiful morning with my equally beautiful girlfriend.” 

She smiled in delight as he caved in, but her smile quickly faded and embarrassment took over. Her eyes widened and her entire face began to grow red. “Oh my god!” 

“Eh?” 

“I slept…” She trailed off, realizing. “Alone, in Ren Amamiya’s room, in his clothes, in his bed.” She began to ramble on, based off of her situation. 

Ren couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing that he was definitely not meant to hear that. “What? Never thought you’d share a blanket with a delinquent?” 

“Y-You weren’t supposed to hear all of that!” She cried out, covering her red face with her hands.

Ren rolled his eyes playfully, “Oh, relax~” He cooed in her ear, his hot breath causing Makoto to let out a sharp breath. 

“W-Why are you doing this to me!?” She groaned out, trying to pull away from his hot breath. 

“Makoto, look at me.” He finally said, his face just a few inches in front of her's. 

She removed her hands and let out another squeak with how close he had come, “Don’t scare me li-” She was cut off by Ren cupping her chin with his rough and calloused hands, closing the distance between the two as his lips pressed against hers. It was the feeling of heaven that coursed through her lips and into the rest of her brain. She settled down into the kiss, her hand reaching across and resting on Ren’s shoulder, her other hand gently caressing Ren’s face with her open palm. 

The kiss broke, both of them taking a deep breath. Ren gave her a mischievous smirk and Makoto returned a playful grin. She wasn’t usually one to be so smooth in these types of situations, but she decided to simply let herself be taken control of by her urges and desires, siding with them instead of trying to fight them off. 

Her hand pressed against his chest, gently pushing him back down on to his back as she began to crawl on top of him, each of her legs resting on either side of his torso. 

“Oh? Hi~” Ren said in a teasing manner, his voice low and soothing, but he purposefully made it sexy and Makoto knew he was intending on toying with her.

She bit her lip and dipped down, whispering just before their lips connected for a second time. “He~llo” She cooed before pressing into a kiss, her hands running through the tufts of his hair. She had gotten this far, so surely she would be able to do more with him, right? 

He was taken back by the sudden seductivity of Makoto, especially compared to her usual flustered and embarrassed self. No, this Makoto was different, it felt like she had become something that wasn’t like the normal socially-awkward Makoto. The way she controlled the kiss, the way she grabbed and ran her hands through his hair, _‘Queen’_ was the only word that came to his mind.

As the kiss broke once more, Makoto smirked as she looked at the dazed and confused Ren Amamiya who she had been on top. She quickly used her hand to wipe away the small and thin trail of saliva that had created a bridge between their lips, inviting them to close together. However, instead of diving back into the kiss, they both stared into each other’s eyes, motionless. The bridge was broken as Makoto pulled her head away from Ren’s, keeping her eyes locked onto his.

“Queen.” He mumbled out quietly, looking up at her with a lustful gaze. 

She raised an eyebrow and dipped down, craning her neck and avoiding his lips as she moved to whisper in his ear. “Mind running that by me again, Ren?” She purred, a sweet and innocent tone in her voice. 

“Q-Queen.” He repeated again, this time speaking louder than he had before.

She grinned and pulled her head back. “Is that my new name now?” She asked, almost in a rhetoric sense as she turned and raised a loose fist to her chin, “I like it.” She said before dipping back down as she gave Ren a small peck on his lips. 

Ren was still in a daze, his lips burning, his face had even become redder than Makoto’s! _‘When the hell did she get so good at all of this? She’s so relaxed about it all!’_

Meanwhile, in Makoto’s mind, she was in complete panic mode. _‘What do I do now!? Am I doing good!? AHHHHH!?’_

“Mmm… Why’d you stop?” Ren asked, his voice sated with a dreamy tone, his breathing was slow and relaxed, his eyes were half-closed, his hair was messy, and his face was a very dark red.

Makoto couldn’t restrain a giggle at the sight. “Why do you ask?” She responded, leaning back and taking a comfy seat on his stomach, feeling herself subtly rise and fall with his breaths.

“Cause I want mo~re!” He groaned out, throwing a small and playful fit as he did so. 

Makoto let out a small laugh and leaned forward, hinting at another kiss as she inched closer to him. Just before their lips met, she pulled her head back and rested her hands on his chest. “Well… I think you’ve had enough.”

Ren frowned as he blinked a few times and looked back up at her. He smirked as it was time to fight back in this small battle of taunts. “I can never get enough of you, Makoto.”

Makoto’s lower lip pushed out as she pouted, her face plunging into a dark crimson, now matching his. _‘Damn you, Ren Amamiya. Damn you’_ She crossed her arms and turned her aside. 

Ren chuckled as he watched her fall into the same blushing state he was, deciding to further his advances. He sat up, earning a loud and unexpected yelp from Makoto as she slid down from his stomach into his lap. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Queeeen~” He purred into her ear. 

She felt chills run up her spine with that voice. _‘What the hell was that voice?! Why was it so… I don’t know the word- Sexual?! Seductive?! I don’t know- HELP!’_ She pouted even more, “Reeeeen! Why can’t you let me have the upper hand for once?” 

He sighed in satisfaction with how quickly he turned her into a blushing and pouting mess. “Do you want it back?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as his arms slid around her waist, pulling their bodies flat against each other. 

“I do!” She said with a frown, looking back at him with that same pout on her face. 

“Well. I’m not sure how you can get it back, but I’m sure you can figure it out, Miss Prez.” He cooed.

“Ren, please! Not the nicknames again!” She said, covering her face with her hands as she groaned out the plea. 

“Apologies, your majesty.” He simply retorted.

“You’re such a jokester!” She mumbled into her palms.

“Does this mean no more kisses?” He said with a small frown beginning to form on his face, the ache in his chest causing him to retreat backward and lie down back on the bed.

Makoto finally removed her hands from her red face, looking back down at Ren who lied there with a small frown. “D-Do you want more?” She asked, keeping her hands held into loose fists which had found their way to resting on Ren’s chest. 

“Do you?” 

Makoto paused and thought for a bit. 

_‘Do I really want more kissing and… whatever this is? Or am I just doing it because I think Ren wants me to?'_

And in typical Ren fashion, it was almost as if he had read her mind. “If you’re only doing it because of me, then stop. I want this to be enjoyable for you too, Makoto.”

_‘The thoughtfulness, the caution, the compassion this boy has, how could he have been in the Yakuza all that time.’_ She thought. 

“Earth to Makoto, I repeat, Earth to Makoto. This is mission control, how copy?” Ren teased, a cheery grin on his face. One that even matched Ryuji’s excitement when he wasn’t in the last place for the tests.

She shook the thoughts out of her head and looked back down at him, a smile spreading across her face. “Of course, I want more kisses, RenRen.” She said, with a small giggle following afterward.

Ren groaned out, “Oh god, you just gave me flashbacks to Ryuji when he first met me!”

Makoto’s giggle picked up into nearly uncontrollable laughter, but Makoto was able to settle herself down before she began crying tears of laughter. “He actually called you that!?” 

“Oh, you have no idea.” He said with a small laugh, which was mainly done to seeing the pure joy and glee Makoto was in. _‘Maybe, just maybe, I really do make her happy.’_

“Well, I suppose there is only one way to remind you that I am most certainly _not_ Ryuji.” She said, beginning to go back down, pressing her lips against his, her hands unfolding from fists as her open palms pressed against his chest, ever so slowly finding their way down from his pectoralis muscles, to his ribcage, grazing across his defined abs which made her freeze. _‘I knew he was always somewhat muscular but… wow’_ She thought, slightly spacing out from the kiss. 

Ren’s hands slipped out from behind his head as her lips locked with his, as for now, only their lips were staying connected. He felt the delicate and soft touch of her fingertips glide over his torso, feeling them stop and actually begin to feel up his stomach. He even noticed her space out, which caused him to break away from the kiss, “Feel something you like?” He asked, his hands now resting on her knees, rubbing up and down, going up her thighs and to her hip bones and back down. He really wished she had been wearing shorts or nothing at all for that matter, just so he would be able to get the full skin to skin contact he longed for. 

Arsene butted in, **_‘Should thou have such lustful thoughts, gentleman thief?’_**

_‘I wouldn’t normally but… This is Makoto, Arsene. You understand that, yes?’_ He argued back, giving what felt like a fair rebuttal.

Arsene chuckled that low and devilish chuckle he became known for, to Ren, that is. **_‘I shall not judge thee for such… erotic emotions, thief. Just remember what it means to be a gentleman.’_**

He was quickly brought back to reality as he heard Makoto’s voice, “I can ask you the same question~” She said, gesturing to his hands which were gently squishing and grabbing her thighs. Of course, Makoto’s face was red, but now Ren’s was as well as he had been caught. 

“I-uh... Erm- Right I was... You know?” He couldn’t even speak as he felt Makoto’s hands continue their downward path, he felt her reach the hem of his shirt and slip underneath it, her fingertips now running across his bare stomach. The hem of his shirt was pressed against her wrist now and while her hands began to rise back up his torso, so did his shirt. Soon, his shirt had been pushed up to the point where it was only covering just his neck and collar bone, the rest of his body being showed on full display. 

“Tell me, Ren. I do not know why you’re so flustered.” She cooed, leaning back down after giving short admiration to his lean and cut physique. 

“You do know.” He mumbled quietly, looking away in order to avoid the lustful and captivating eyes of Makoto Niijima.

“I know. But I just want to hear you say it out loud! This is really my only chance to see you so flustered, after all.” She said with a playful smirk, one that she had to of picked up from Ren since it was so devilishly charming.

“W-well. I’m flustered b-because my shirt is almost off and…” He trailed off, looking down as Makoto sat in his lap and he could tell she could definitely feel his erection pressing against her bottom. “Well, that.” He said with a short shrug.

Makoto gently moved her hips in a circular motion against his groin, nodding with a victorious grin on her face. “So now what is it that you want, Ren?” She asked, keeping her palms against his abdomen, being sure not to press too hard since she knew it would hurt him. 

Her thoughts raced in her head as she continued to think of the whole scenario. She was now grinding on Ren, who was almost shirtless. _‘Oh my god what am I doing!? It feels so... crude- but it’s also fun to see him like this! I don’t know what is happening!’_

He thought for a moment. No…

_‘Don’t say it, Ren!’_

_‘Don't you dare fucking say it!’ ___

____

____

_‘Don’t say it, damnit! Don’t give in!’_

Arsene joined Ren in his thoughts. **_‘Refrain yourself, thief! Keep thine dignity intact!’_**

“THIGHS!” He randomly blurted out. 

“Thighs?” She repeated.

“I mean- uhm- shit. I don’t know, ignore me!” He removed his hands from her legs, covering his face.

Makoto couldn’t suppress a giggle. “Oh, Ren. You’ll never cease to amaze me.” 

“I don’t know what is happening to me!” He mumbled into his hands

Makoto took this opportunity of his weakness, she had done quite some research on how love works over the year ever since their incident with Eiko and one thing she always saw in the cheesy romantic films (which she hated watching,) was they always kissed each other’s necks. Of course, Makoto never understood the sensation it brought to the receiver but she was about to find out what it felt like to kiss a boy’s neck. 

She hesitated at first as she dipped towards his neck, but she lifted one of her hands from his core and decided to follow through with it. Her now free hand pulled at the collar of his bunched up shirt, pulling it down as her lips followed shortly after, placing them firmly on the side of his neck.

“What are you doing?” He asked, removing his hands from his face, seeing her head dip lower and lower, watching her face disappear into the nook of his neck. His breath hitched as he felt her lips press against his tender skin. 

She didn’t know what to do beyond that point, but she certainly felt him take a sharp breath once her lips connected with his neck. She decided to go off of that and began to gently kiss along his neck, dipping lower whenever she heard his breath pick up, raising back up higher whenever he seemed to be settling down. She didn’t want to give him a break and when it felt like her advantage was beginning to slow, she accidentally grazed her teeth against his neck which caused his breath to catch. 

She smirked as she began to utilize her teeth, gently nibbling along his neck as she dipped down to his collarbone, continuing to tease him with her kisses. 

“M-Makoto wait!” He finally was able to speak up, his breathing rapid and still shaky.

She removed her head, pulling back as she returned to a sitting position, trying to find comfort with the bulge pressing against her rear, however, she quickly gave up as she could see her adjustments only caused Ren to let out quiet groans.

“I need to catch my breath, cracked ribs, remember?” He said, taking one deep breath as his face scrunched in pain.

“O-Oh! I am so sorry- I completely got lost in the moment. Are you okay, Ren?!” She immediately felt a wave of guilt course through her. Her teasing and dominant facade immediately crumbling into tiny bits.

“Why do you look so guilty? I have never felt better in my entire life.” He said with a quiet laugh

Her face went red and fell. “Still. I feel horrible that I’m hurting you with this…” She murmured. 

“Makoto, even with a few messed up ribs, this has been the greatest thing to wake up to.”

She bit her lip as she removed her hand from his collar and rested it on one of her knees. “I’m sorry.”

“Makoto!” 

“H-Huh?” She said, looking back at him. 

“Did you even hear a word I said?”

“I-I did it just… feels like I am doing this wrong.” She admitted. “I’ve never done anything of this sort with a boy…” 

Ren went quiet for a moment. He held his silence before sighing and speaking up, “I can’t say I’ve done anything of this sort, either.” 

Her eyebrows raised as she looked at him with a rather shocked expression. “I-I knew you haven’t… d-done it. But you haven’t even gotten this far?” 

He shook his head, his shoulders giving a weak attempt at a shrug.

Makoto thought for a bit, _‘We’re both each other’s first time making out?! That’s… sort of romantic, actually.’_

She grinned and began to lower herself back towards him, giving him a small kiss on his nose, before pulling back into the sitting position. “W-Well. I don’t know where to go from here, in all honesty.”

Ren shrugged, “I suppose we could cuddle and catch just a few more hours of sleep?” 

“That sounds rather nice.” She said with a grin, swinging her leg off of him and collapsing down on the bed beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder while her leg curled up and rested on his core, a cozy position, for her at least.

Ren grinned as he felt Makoto nuzzle up against him. _‘I could stay like this forever.’_ He thought as he wrapped his free arm around Makoto’s waist. But it was too hard to resist, his hand slid down and gave her thigh a gentle squeeze as he began to doze off. He could hear Makoto quietly giggle and shake her head in his arm.

“Thighs?” She asked.

“Thighs.” He repeated.

Ren could practically feel Arsene facepalm, **_‘For a gentleman thief, thine actions have proven thy as the opposite.’_**

_‘Shut up, Arsene. Let me enjoy this…’_ Ren retorted in his thoughts, pausing for a moment. _‘Dick.’_

And after his brief conversation with Arsene, Ren finally caved and fell asleep. 

Makoto watched his eyes flutter closed and her own began eyelids began to droop. She couldn’t help but grin due to how this morning panned out, she had a feeling the rest of the day was going to be an enjoyable one. 

She nuzzled her face against his neck as she adjusted herself to finally find _that_ perfect spot, finally settling in and falling asleep with the same joyous grin on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Writing risque is so much harder than I thought it would be. Action scenes come like a breeze to me but romance? Oh hellll naaaahh. This was my first time so just like anything else, it'll take practice to get better with! Nonetheless, I hope it's not too shabby. 
> 
> OUR FAVORITES FINALLY GET A BREAK! WHOOP WHOOP! 
> 
> Thank you all for reading Chapter 9 and I hope you all have a spectacular day! :) 
> 
>  
> 
> P.S.  
> Thighs.


	10. Chapter 10: The Broken Barista

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima both secretly planned to stay together, forever. 
> 
> However, god played vile and dirty tricks on the Trickster himself.

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SCENES WITH GROTESQUE VIOLENCE AND TORTURE.**

**5/19**  
**Daytime**

Ren was woken up to a distant voice calling up to him, one of a gruff and older man. He could tell right away who it was that was nagging him at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey, kid!” 

_‘Ah, Boss.’_

He rubbed his eyes and looked over at the still sleeping Makoto, who lied peacefully on her side with her lips slightly parted, her face a light pink. He could tell she was dreaming as she saw the forms of her eyes darting left and right underneath her eyelids. He slipped her hand off of his chest without waking her and sat up, returning his gaze back towards the stairs. He quickly adjusted his shirt, rolling it back down his body, covering the rest of his torso. 

He swung his legs out and planted his feet flat against the wooden floorboard, he muttered a few words of encouragement as he stood up, suppressing a grunt for the sake of Makoto’s slumber. He stretched his shoulders out, rolling them a couple of times as his tilted his neck from side to side, a few cracks erupting from it. 

He finally walked to the top of the staircase, looking downstairs to see Sojiro looking up at him with a stern and cold expression. “A woman is here, she’s been asking for you.” 

Ren sighed and nodded, “I’ll be right down.” 

He turned on his heel and walked sorely towards the small wardrobe box that rested on his shelf. He reached into it and dug out white V-Neck. He stripped out of his comfy cotton shirt and slipped the tighter fitting fabric on, completely concealing his inked skin. He then worked on his pajama bottoms, slipping out of them and pulling up a pair of jeans. He hooked a belt through each loop and pulled it tightly around. Finally, he slipped on a black blazer, leaving it open as he walked down the stairs.

He turned the corner to enter the main floor to see a taller woman in all black, gray hair, and near red eyes.

He gritted his teeth at the sight and immediately began taking a few steps back. 

“Hello, Amamiya-kun...” She said in a quiet and somber tone 

“Don’t give me that bullshit!” He immediately snapped.

Sojiro was startled as he saw what was the most relaxed, laid back, and uncaring boy snap so easily as greeting, “Woah- What’s with the hostility?” 

Sae turned to him and attempted to explain in a much more formal manner, one that would somehow prove her innocence and that he was at fault. “Oh, Pardon. Amamiya-kun and I-”

Until Ren butted in “The great prosecutor, Sae fucking Niijima, broke into this cafe late last night and cracked a few of my ribs and bruised even more.” 

Sojiro froze as he turned to the boy and back at Sae. “W-What!?” 

Sae sighed and shook her head, looking back at Ren. “You understand my circumstances were tough, don’t you?” 

“Tough!? Your… _circumstances_? Were TOUGH!?” He said, already beginning to go into hysterics. He shook in anger, his inner beast beginning to crawl its way into his consciousness. Akira. “After what you have put me through… You _dare_ bring up your circumstances?” 

“Ren- That’s not what I mea-” 

“I DON’T FUCKING CARE WHAT YOU MEANT, YOU DAMNED DEVIL!” He erupted, his vocal cords letting a furious fry as his voice was filled with grit and rage. 

“Ren- Relax…” Sojiro attempted to calm him down. 

“No, Sojiro, I can’t just… _relax._ ” He said, his voice growing quieter but his tone still containing the same grizzly bite. “I was protecting her, Sae!” 

“How could I trust a Yakuza member with my sister, Ren!?” Sae finally yelled out, pointing an accusing finger directly at Ren.

His eyes widened and he froze.

“ _Excuse_ me..?” He heard the boss ask, turning away from Ren and to Sae.

“You heard what I said,” She lashed out, looking at the man with a primal fury in her eyes. “He’s a filthy criminal. Just tell him to take his shirt off and you’ll see.”

Ren began to shatter. He felt the same way he felt the night before. 

_‘Anyone but the boss…’_ He thought

Sojiro turned to face Ren. “Well? You better prove your innocence, kid.” He said, his voice now matching Ren’s own rage-filled tone. 

Tears began to fall from his eyes, he couldn’t stop them. His hand shakily moved towards his blazer, pulling it off of his arms and letting it fall to the ground. His hands then traveled to the hem of his shirt, he began slowly pulling it up as he turned his back to face the man. He stopped as the shirt reached approximately half-way up his torso, “Please don’t make me do this…” He said weakly.

“Go on!” Sojiro ordered.

Ren sniffled and continued to lift the shirt, his true colors beginning to show. 

Boss shook his head in disappointment, crossing his arms as the full tattoos were revealed. He took a deep breath and pointed to the door. “Out.” 

Ren froze as he heard the words. “W-What!?”

“Get. Out.” 

Ren let his shirt drop, he bent down and grabbed his blazer off the ground, slipping it on over his plain white shirt. “Thank you… for everything, Sojiro.” 

“I said get out.” 

“Right…” He muttered quietly as he walked past Sae, not even giving her a small look. He lost the only place he considered home, he was pushed out by what he saw was his father, he was abandoned, yet again. 

He walked outside and sighed softly as the rain began to drop against his head. Tears continued to fall down his face as he walked through the streets, his face pale and his mouth dry as he ventured out of Yongen-Jaya. He went straight for the train station, getting on a train and headed for Shinjuku. 

Why? Hell, He didn’t even know. 

Ren sighed as the train finally pulled to a stop, his tears now dried to his face as they left dark streaks across his pale face. He walked through the busy streets of the overly packed town. He disappeared into the first possible alleyway he could, ‘Where a criminal like me belongs.’ He muttered, looking up from his feet to see a stout and short man with a bruised face staring at him, three other men joining up behind him. He recognized them.

_Iwai, Haito, Okisha_

However, even as much of a shock as it was to Ren to see those three siding with the bastard who stabbed him, he lost all care. He simply hobbled towards the small group of men, wobbling towards them. He looked up to Iwai, a sad expression on his face as Iwai stared down at him with a much colder glare. "Iwai, Haito, Okisha, Why?"

“Sometimes you’ve got to do what must be done, kid.” He said, raising a fist and striking Ren across the head, sending the boy unconscious immediately. 

Sae grumbled as the cafe fell silent after the boy’s departure. She could hear Sojiro muttering curse words to himself, she could tell he was infuriated with Ren. _‘Did I do it again..? Did I take everything away from him?’_

She sighed softly and shook her head, using two of her fingers to rub her temple. 

Makoto woke up, her eyes fluttering open, letting out a loud yawn and blinking a few times. “That was nice.” However, she quickly realized the warmth that lied beside her had disappeared, the boy, missing from his spot. She could see his clothes on the ground, _‘Maybe he’s downstairs?’_

She shook off the thoughts and stood up, walking over towards where her clothes lied folded up, stripping out of Ren’s clothes, which were very comfy, and slipped back into her attire from the night before. 

She turned and went towards the staircase, taking slow steps as she went down. She turned and looked at Sae and Sojiro, both stopping and staring right back at her. “U-Uhm… Hi.” She said shyly.

Sojiro sighed and turned around. “If you’re looking for that criminal, he’s gone.” 

Makoto gulped but looked back at Sae as her brow furrowed. “You just had to ruin his life again, didn’t you?” She said, approaching her older sister with her fists balled tightly. “You had to!”

“M-Makoto, I promise I didn’t try to hurt him.” Sae tried explaining, attempting to keep hold of her ground as her sister stood mere inches away from her, those furious crimson eyes looking up to pierce through her own. 

“But you did.” She growled, stepping aside and walking past her sister towards the door. She turned and looked at both Sojiro and Sae, “You’re both rotten… To the core.” She muttered as she pushed out of the Cafe. 

Ren woke up, a blinding white light invading his eyesight, making him squint his eyes in attempts to avoid it. He groaned as he felt his head throb, pain coursing through it with every single pump of blood. “Nnng.. Where am I?” He asked out loud, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted. 

He knew this room.

It was the white room of the Indigna Club.

“So you came to?” He heard a familiar voice ask.

His head shot to the direction of the voice, seeing the man in the trench coat and military cap leaning on the wall, his arms crossed. “Iwai… Why are you siding with him, now?”

“Everybody has a price, kid.” He said simply. 

The door opened and he turned to look at the men entering the room, one of them pushing in a cart of wicked tools, the man behind him was a taller and lankier man, and the final man to enter was the same man who stabbed him, the same one who kidnapped Makoto. 

The stout man gave out a deep chuckle. “You’ve caused some serious trouble for me, Ren Amamiya.” He said with a smug grin. “But luckily, I have come here to help you pay off that debt.” 

Ren’s vision began to fade as the room grew darker.

_Betrayed by what he thought was his family._

That was the only word he could think of. He felt himself spiraling down, his mental state collapsing once more. However, he was brought back to reality after a cruel slap. 

“Me and you are going to have lots of fun together...” The man said with a vile snarl and laugh. 

Ren heard the sound of a blow torch shooting out it’s small, but wickedly hot flame. He looked down to see Iwai holding that blow torch to a metal pipe, the end of the pipe beginning to grow a bright red. “Here ya go, boss,” Iwai said, handing said pipe to the stout man who stood in front of him. 

“Good…” He said, holding it and examining it in his hands. The ending that was heated to a blazing hot inferno was perfectly rounded, like some sort of ball was soldered to the end of it. “Now, Ren. Pick a side, left or right?”

“L-Left?” He said questionably, his eyes staring down that smoldering pipe that the man held in his hands. 

The man chuckled and gestured to Iwai who walked over and grabbed Ren’s head in his iron grasp, holding his head locked in place.

The ‘boss’ chuckled as he took the smoldering hot end of the pipe and jammed it against Ren’s right eye, the nearly melted metal burning through and sizzling Ren’s eyeball and the skin that surrounded it. 

Ren screeched in pain, his full body convulsing and jerking from side to side. He could feel his skin begin to melt and reform, he could also feel that pipe jam and jerk into his eye socket, completely filling the void of where his eye once was. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pipe was ripped out from his skull and Iwai released his grip. 

Ren took deep huffs of breath, slouching over in the chair he was tied to. He screamed again in anguish as his other good eye watched a gooey substance come dripping out of his right eye. “W-Why!?” He screamed, tears streaming from his one good eye, blood streaming out of the other. 

“Cause I felt like it.” The Boss simply replied with. “And that’s only the start of it, Ren Amamiya.” 

**10/19**  
**????**

He lied motionless on the floor, his body was weak, frail, fragile if it could even be considered a body anymore. He lost track of the time, the only thing he could feel or remember was the torture, the hatred, the pain, the tears, the fear that crept up his spine every time that door opened. 

He took deep breaths which killed him, each of his ribs were definitely cracked, if not shattered. The only thing that made the breathing pain worse was his coughing fit he’d always fall into.  
It had been so long… He forgot everything, he forgot his own name, he forgot why he was even in that room, to begin with. 

He lied motionless and in a pain that could rival hell itself. 

**10/20**  
**Evening**

Makoto had been searching for five months. 

_‘Five months.’_ She thought. _‘Ren Amamiya has been missing for five months. All leads to him are only dead ends, he simply vanished.’_

She still couldn’t find it within her to forgive her sister, every single day she saw her she scoffed in disgust for the woman who was so cruel to the boy she loved. 

_‘This will be like every day. Every. Single. Day.’_ She sighed as she went out, walking through the central streets of Shibuya, asking around if anyone had seen him. She finally came to accept the constant failure, she whimpered softly and looked at her shoes as she walked towards that same diner the two shared their first date with one another at. She walked in, a grim look on her face as she sat in that same booth they had sat at. 

_‘It’s time I let go. It’s time I give up.’_

_**pi! pi! pi! pi! pi!**_

She cursed to herself and dug through her pocket, pulling out the phone as she saw the notification on her front screen. “An unidentified number..?” She muttered to herself as she opened it up, the message inside made her jump in excitement. 

**?:** Hey, it’s Iwai. I found Ren.

 **M:** Oh thank goodness, how is he? Is he alright?

 **I:** Well, he’s still pretty bummed about getting kicked out, but he’s here at the Indigna club if you want to see him.

As she read the message, she immediately stood up, sliding out of the booth and darting out, heading towards that godforsaken club one more time. 

**M:** I’m on my way now!

Makoto raced through the streets, flying down the stairs into the train station as she hopped on the first train she could possibly catch to the closest station near the club. As that train finally pulled to a stop, she raced out of the doors, shooting directly towards the club. 

As she finally approached the sleazy club, she took a few deep breaths, recovering from her sprint as she bent down, her hands resting on her knees. Her heart thumped in her chest, the boy she had longed for the past five months was inside this building. She was so close to his loving embrace, his soothing voice, his devilish smirk. It all made her smile a wide grin as she entered. 

Of course, the smell and noises weren’t exactly welcoming, however, Makoto ignored it as she walked towards the stairs to the VIP section, ignoring the fact that there wasn’t even a guard watching them. 

She raced up and saw the upstairs were completely empty. She sighed and began to run around like a chicken with her head cut off, searching through the rooms and booths as she tried to find him. She began to break into a quick sprint, running through the long hallways until she completely smashed into a mass of a man, standing in a gray trench coat and a military cap. 

Iwai turned to face her, a smug grin spreading across his face. “You really came?” 

“O-Of course I did, why wouldn’t…” Her words began to slow, why did she trust this random man so much? “Why wouldn’t I?” She repeated, looking back up at the man who still held the smug grin.

“Didn’t expect you to have the guts.” He said simply, helping her up to her feet with a rough grab and tug. He gestured with his head for her to follow him, the same dirty smirk on his face as he walked through the lengthy hallways, heading directly for the white room. As the door to the room came into view, he clung tightly onto her wrist, now practically dragging her along with him. 

Makoto yelped in pain the rougher the man got, “Hey- Hey! Ow!” She whimpered out as she dragged her behind him. She felt something was off, why was he so rough? So smug? What had happened? Then, she looked behind her and saw him. The stout man who stabbed Ren, the man who kidnapped her, the man who was hunting them… And she fell right for his trap. 

“N-No… This can’t be” She said, beginning to try and pry free from Iwai’s steel grip, tugging back as she attempted a measly escape. “He isn’t even here, is he!?” She screamed in anger as that door approached closer and closer.

“Oh ho, he’s here all right,” Iwai said with a devilish grin. Opening the door as he practically threw Makoto in. “We’ll be seeing you two shortly. It’s best you two… 'talk' things out. Oh, wait.” He said with a sinister laugh as he slammed the door shut behind her, locking it. 

Makoto shivered as she felt the cold tile floor beneath her, she groaned in pain as she stood up, not noticing the lifeless corpse in the middle of the room at first as she brushed herself off. 

Then,

She froze in horror as she looked at that body that was lying on the ground. 

“R-Ren?” She asked shyly. 

What she saw had horrified her, this boy, it couldn’t be Ren. Her eyes widened at the sight.

All traces of muscle or fat were gone, he looked like a simple skeleton with skin. That is if he had much skin at all. She could see there were large gashes, cuts, rashes, tears, rips, even large sheets of skin peeled from his body. She inched closer to the boy who lied face down on the tiled floor, taking a closer look at his arms and legs, noticing that all of his tendons in his elbows, knees, wrists, and ankles had all been completely sliced off. 

She gulped as she gently took the boy, rolling him onto his back as best as possible. She could see his face now and it was his face. However, it was disfigured and changed beyond belief. She could see that one of his eyes had a very large and nasty burn that seared the entire eye-canal into a disgusting dark black wax, which she realized was a mixture of his eyeball and his skin. She then took a look at his other eye, which instead of the normal gray pools surrounded by a beautifully bright white, she saw that all of the white around his iris was a dark red. She took his face in her hands as she continued to examine him, his face hollowed and thin, the bones from his jaw showing in a grotesque fashion. 

Makoto couldn’t contain the tears that began to fall freely out of her eyes. “R-Ren…” 

Ren’s one eye blinked and looked over at her, “Maooooo” He grumbled out incoherently. 

As his mouth opened, she noticed another horrific sight. 

Ren was lacking his tongue. 

“W-What did they do to you..?” She said, placing a hand over her mouth as her cry began to break into a sob. 

“(S)et Uuuup” He attempted saying, his breath shaking violently as he coughed again, blood spurting out from the back of his throat, splattering across his face. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.” She repeated to herself, beginning to cave in as the tears continued to force themselves out of her eyes. “No, this is all a nightmare. This isn’t real.” 

Ren watched that odd woman cry beside him. “W-Who awe (y)ou?” He asked, his head slightly falling off to the side so he could get a better look of her.

“This can’t be happening… No… No!” She began to scream, standing up and banging on the door with tight fists. However, she gave up as she slid down the door to her knees, sobbing as she hunched over and curled into a ball. “Not my Ren… This couldn’t happen to him… It couldn’t have…” 

Finally, the door clicked open. She jumped and crawled away, hunkering down in the corner in a pure hysteric as she thought she was the next in line for the same treatment Ren received. 

“Grab the boy and get him on the chair. It’s showtime.” The boss said as he walked in, pointing to Ren. Iwai and Haito walking to the boy and pulling his limp body off the ground and weakly set him in the chair, his body naturally slouching down. “Now bring me the girl.” He ordered, Iwai and Haito rushing to the corner, grabbing both of her arms and lifting her to her feet.

“NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!” Makoto screamed and kicked, thrashing in the grasp of the two clearly stronger men, which only lead to her being tired out from the kicking and fighting. She now stood weakly, held by both men as she stared at the lifeless boy who sat in the chair before her. 

The slimy boss grinned and approached Makoto from behind now, wrapping an arm around her waist as his free hand slid down to his hip, pulling out a Smith & Wesson revolver. “Give me your hand, darling.” He purred in her ear.

Makoto clenched her teeth as she felt the man pull so close to her. Her muscles flexed as she attempted one last feeble escape. However, it proved useless.

She then felt Iwai let go of her right arm, however, her wrist was grabbed onto by the boss who stood beside her now, she felt a cold steel grip push into her hands. She was now carrying the revolver that he had handed her. His hand then crept up her wrist and outlined her own hand, using his fingers to push hers to hold tightly onto the grip. His index finger then pushed against her own, pressing it against the trigger as he held her firmly locked.

 _‘No…’_ Her thoughts began to race.

 _‘Just like what happened to Ren…’_ Her inner conscious muttered to her.

“Now let’s have some fun, shall we, _Madam Niijima?_ ” He said with a toothy grin, using his arm to force her to take aim, pulling the trigger with no hesitation. The bullet penetrating through Ren’s knee. 

Makoto screamed in fear as she heard the loud bang, then her eyes widened in horror as she watched the bullet fire straight through Ren’s right knee cap, an explosion of blood escaping, followed by a dreadful scream erupting from the boy’s throat. Makoto began to sob uncontrollably. 

_‘I’m so sorry, Ren.’_

The boss took aim at Ren’s other knee, once more pulling the trigger for her with zero hesitation. The same result happening again. A scream from Makoto and a blood-curdling screech from Ren.

Finally, the boss had forced Makoto to walk closer to the boy who sat limp in the chair, tears streaming down one side of his face. “Face your fears… Makoto Niijima.” He said with a smirk, guiding her hand to put the gun directly to his forehead. 

_‘Nononononononono!’_ She screamed in her mind, but she was frozen in shock and fear as she saw the tears of blood coming out of Ren’s molded, burnt, and destroyed eye socket. 

The boss smirked as he pushed her index finger down on the trigger. “Goodbye, Akira.”

Ren finally uttered out one more quiet phrase, “I’m so(r)(r)y, Maoooo.” 

_**BANG!**_

His body slouched lifelessly.

Makoto screeched and broke down in tears as she fell to her knees, struggling to breathe.

The next hour was a complete haze to her.

She only remembered hearing a few more gunshots, plenty of screaming, then all of a sudden, men in uniforms and armored gear helped escort her out of that hellish-white room. It appeared that Sae Niijima had seen that her sister wasn't replying to any calls or texts and was lucky enough to spot her entering the club, which she heard screaming and gunshots, which lead to the police being dialed. At least that's what Makoto was told.

**10 Years Later**

An older, much more mature Makoto sat at the rundown diner in Shibuya with an older blonde man sitting across from her. “And that’s how I met Ren. And that’s how I…” She paused, choking up slightly as tears welled in her eyes “Lost him.” She gritted her teeth, clenching her fists tightly in her lap.

“I didn’t know that was what happened to him…” The blonde man said, looking aside with a sad expression on his face. 

“It’s… Truly the most horrific thing I have ever had to live through… That boy had a fire, he had some sort of drive, a fighting spirit that always kept him grounded and ready for anything… But then I stepped into his life again. I can’t help but think I’m the one who killed him, metaphorically and literally speaking.” She said quietly, looking down at her lap as tears began to fall as she reminisced on Ren’s smile, his laugh, his quirky and unpredictable attitude. Then she frowned in sadness as she remembered only her and Ryuji attended the boy's funeral, not even his own parents, not even Sojiro, only Makoto and Ryuji. 

“Makoto, you can’t let that guilt hang only on your shoulders… He was my best friend back then too, I should’ve figured out a way to help.” The blonde man said quietly. 

“R-Right.” She said with a quiet shiver, goosebumps running up and down her arms, which allowed her to take a look at the watch on her left wrist. “I-I must be going now. Thank you for taking some time to talk about him with me, Ryuji. It has really been helping me cope with it.” 

“I’m always here.” The man said with a small nod. 

Makoto took one last look at her order, which was a bowl of ramen and some green leaf tea. She then looked up and imagined Ren, sitting there quietly eating his chicken fingers like a kid. It made her only choke up more tears as she turned and began to walk away, leaving the diner.

_He was only a child._

_He was only eighteen._

_Ren Amamiya was only eighteen years old when he was shot and killed in front of the one person he trusted, the one person who loved him for who he was, the one person he would take a bullet for, Makoto Niijima._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not all things in life finish with a happy ending... Especially for a criminal...  
> \------  
> I just want to say thank you all so much for reading this series and it has been a blast for me to write, but alas, all things must come to an end.
> 
> This series has been eye-opening for me, it really proved to me that I can actually write when I put myself up to the task. I learned a lot through critiques and it really gave me a morale boost with all the kind comments left by you guys. And honestly, even though a lot of this series was angst and very dramatic, I had a splendid time writing it and I couldn't have asked for a better audience to tell my story to. 
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for reading. I pray I'm not hung out to dry for this ending. It was cruel, it was dark, it was morbid, it was terrible. However, those are all a part of the price to pay for being the wildcard.


End file.
